Doctrinals as Justin Martyr Irenaeus Origen against Celsus Tertullians Apolog. c. As Also Philo Josephus Eusebius and others for History Me thinks it is preposterous to see men study so long the meaning of Gods Word before they know whether it be Gods Word or not As the Italians Melancthon mentioneth That would prove Christ was in the Bread before they believed well that he was in Heaven It is no questioning the Truth of Scripture to perswade men to the rightest course to be assured of its Truth I confess my self much offended at some mens doctrine who cry down Reason and Tradition here as if they were enemies to God and his Word and cry up nothing but Scripture and the Spirit Just like the Antinomians in the doctrine of Certainty of Salvation who cry up the Witness of the Spirit and cry down the trying by Signes and Evidences of Sanctification As if these were contrary which are co-ordinate If I had wanted either Reason Tradition or the help of the Spirit I should never have beleeved the Truth of the Scripture I confess for my part I cannot boast of any such Testimony or Light of the Spirit nor Reason neither which without Tradition would have made me beleeve that the Book of Canticles is Canonical and writ by Solomon and the Book of Wisdom Apocryphal and writ by Philo as some think or that Saint Pauls Epistle to the Loadiceans which is in the end of Bruno and others were not Canonical as well as Johns second and third Some men as soon as they hear talk of Reason and Tradition here they zealously cry out It is Socinianism and Popery Scripture is Gods written infallible Law Reason is the Eye by which I must read it The Spirit is the Physitian to cure the blindness of this Eye and in a common sense The very Life and Spirits The Church is the chief but not the onely House where these Records are kept Tradition hath chiefly three Offices It is to the unlearned where Scripture is The Proclaimer of it It is to the learned the Hand that delivereth it to them It is to some that never heard of Scripture a Herauld to proclaim the doctrine which it containeth And why must these needs be set together by the ears May they not yea must they not stand together and further each other The name of Antichrist Socinianism Arminianism for the things I renounce my self hath almost affrighted some men out of their Faith and others out of their Wits Is it any derogation from the Law to say A man must receive it from the hand that bringeth it and read it with his eyes c. A learned godly Divine is offended with Canterbury for these words Reason and ordinary Grace superadded by the help of Tradition do sufficiently enlighten the Soul to discern That Scriptures are the Oracles of God and he saith Here is the Socinians sound or right Reason before the Illumination of the Spirit and to please the Arminians ordinary or universal Grace comes in and the name of Tradition to please the Popish party And what all these are like to do without the special Grace of the Holy Spirit I leave it to any Protestant to judg But what will any Christian deny that there is such a thing as ordinary Grace or that Tradition is necessary to deliver us the Scriptures or hath every man special Grace who beleeveth Scripture to be Gods Word Is it not possible for an unregenerate man to beleeve that What kinde of Preaching would such a man use to Indians Turks or Infidels Are not men sanctified by the Word and must they be sanctified by a Word which they beleeve not that so they may beleeve it Indeed he that saith we may not onely know but know perfectly or know to Salvation without special Grace is mistaken But usually a common Grace and common Knowledg go before Special The same godly Divine against these words of Master Chillingworth The Scripture is not to be beleeved finally for it self but for the matter contained in it So that if men did beleeve the Doctrine contained in the Scripture it should no way hinder their Salvation not to know whether there were any Scripture or no saith I thought it had been necessary to have received those material Objects or Articles of our Faith upon the Authority of God speaking in the Scriptures I thought it had been Anabaptistical to have expected any Revelation but in the Word of God c. I should rather for my part think thus That the immediate Revelation of Scripture from God was not to me but to the first Witnesses and Penmen The way of Conveyance to us is another thing and is a Revelation too The best way is by Scripture which without Tradition no man would ever see or hear of Where this is not to be had there meer Tradition may save and is a Revelation sufficient to Salvation and not Anabaptistical Though Traditional unwritten doctrines to make up the defects of Scripture I abhor And I should ask the Dissenter first Whether men were not saved before Moses without Scripture And as Doctor Usher well observeth One reason why they might then be without it was the facility and certainty of Tradition For Methuselah lived many hundred yeers with Adam and Sem lived long with Methuselah and Isaac lived fiftie yeers with Sem So that three men saw all from the Beginning of the World till Isaacs fiftieth yeer Secondly And were not many saved by the Apostles doctrine many yeers before the New Testament was written And Jews before while the old was almost lost Thirdly What if some Ethiopians Armenians or Papists should by meer Tradition beleeve in Christ and who dare say That they may not should they not be saved He that saith No contradicteth Christ who saith That whosoever beleeveth in him shall not perish which way soover he came by it Will you hear Irenaeus in this who lived before Popery was born Lib. 3. cap. 4. Quid enim siquib de aliqua modica quaestione disceptatio esset Nonne oporteret in antiquissimas recurrere Ecclesias Mark he saith not Ad Romanam Ecclesiam vel ad unam principem in quibus Apostoli conversati sunt ab eis de praesenti quaestione sumere quod certum re liquidum est Quid autem si neque Apostoli quidem Scripturas reliquissent nobis nonne oportebat ordinem sequi Traditionis quam tradiderunt iis quibus committebant Ecclesias Cui Ordinationi assentiunt multae gentes barbarorum eorum qui in Christum credunt sine charactere vel atramento Scriptam habentes per spiritum in cordibus suis salutem veterem Traditionem diligenter custodientes c. Hanc fidem qui sine literis crediderunt quantum ad Sermonem nostrum barbari sunt quantum autem ad sententiam consuetudinem conversationem propter fidem perquam sapientissimi sunt placent Deo c. Sic per illam
but to resolve our faith into some humane Testimony even to lay our foundation upon the sand where all will fall at the next assault It s strange to consider how we all abhor that piece of Popery as most injurious to God of all the rest which resolves our faith into the Authority of the Church And yet that we do for the generality of professors content our selves with the same kinde of faith Onely with this difference The Papists believe Scripture to be the Word of God because their Church saith so and we because our Church or our Leaders say so Yea and many Mininisters never yet gave their people better grounds but tell them which is true that it is damnable to deny it but help them not to the necessary Antecedents of Faith If any think that these words tend to the shaking of mens faith I answer First Onely of that which will fall of it self Secondly And that it may in time be built again more strongly Thirdly Or at least that the sound may be surer setled It s to be understood that many a thousand do profess Christianity and zealously hate the enemies thereof upon the same grounds to the same ends and from the same inward corrupt principles as the Jews did hate and kill Christ It is the Religion of the Countrey where every man is reproached that believes otherwise they were born and brought up in this belief and it hath increased in them upon the like occasions Had they been born and bred in the Religion of Mahomet they would have beeen as zealous for him The difference betwixt him and a Mahometan is more that he lives where better Laws and Religion dwell then that he hath more knowledg or soundness of apprehension Yet would I not drive into causless doubtings the soul of any true Believer or make them believe their faith is unsound because it is not so strong as some others Therefore I add some may perhaps have ground for their beliefe though they are not able to expresse it by argumentation and may have Arguments in their hearts to perswade themselves though they have none in their mouths to perswade another yea and those Arguments in themselves may be solid and convincing Some may be strengthened by some one sound Argument and yet be ignorant of all the rest without overthrowing the truth of their Faith Some also may have weaker apprehensions of the Divine authority of Scripture then others and as weaker grounds for their Faith so a lesse degree of assent And yet that assent may be sincere and saving so it have these two qualifications First If the Arguments which we have for believing the Scripture be in themselves more sufficient to convince of its truth then any Arguments of the enemies of Scripture can be to perswade a man of the contrary And do accordingly discover to us a high degree at least of probability Secondly And if being thus far convinced it prevailes with us to chuse this as the onely way of life and to adventure our souls upon this way denying all other and adhering though to the losse of estate and life to the Truth of Christ thus weakly apprehended This I think God will accept as a true Beliefe But though such a faith may serve to salvation yet when the Christian should use it for his consolation he will finde it much faile him even as leggs or arms of the weak or lame which when a man should use them do faile him according to the degrees of their weakness or lameness so much doubting as there remaines of the Truth of the word or so much weakness as there is in our believing or so much darkness or uncertainty as there is in the evidence which perswades us to believe so much will be wanting to our Love Desires Labors Adventures and especially to our joyes Therefore I think it necessary to speak a little and but a little to fortifie the believer against temptations and to confirme his faith in the certain Truth of that Scripture which containes the promises of his Rest. CHAP. III. SECT I. ANd here it is necessary that we first distinguish betwixt 1. The subject matter of Scripture or the doctrine which it contains 2. And the words or writings containing or expressing this doctrine The one is as the blood the other as the veins in which it runs Secondly We must distinguish betwixt 1. the substantiall and fundamentall part of Scriptureâ— doctrine without which there is no salvation and 2. the circumstantiall and less necessary part as Genealogies Successions Chronology c. Thirdly Of the substantiall fundamentall part 1. Some may be known and proved even without Scripture as being written in nature it self 2. some can be known onely by the assent of Faith to Divine Revelation Fourthly Of this last sort 1. some things are above Reason as it is without Divine Revelation both in respect of their Probability existence and futurity 2. others may be known by meer Reason without Divine Testimony in regard of their Possibility and Probability but not in regard of their existence or futurity Fifthly Again matter of Doctrine must be distinguished from matter of fact Sixthly Matter of fact is either 1. such as God produceth in an ordinary way or 2. extrordinary and miraculous Seventhly History and Phophesie must be distinguished Eighthly We must distinguish also the books and writings themselves 1. between the maine scope and those parts which express the chief contents and 2. particular words and phrases not expressing any substantialls Ninthly Also it s one question 1. whether there be a certain number of books which are Canonicall or of Divine Authority and 2. another question what number there is of these and which particular books they are Tenthly The direct expresse sense must be distinguished from that which is only implyed or consequentiall Eleventhly We must distinguish Revelation unwriten from that which is writen Twelfthly and Lastly We must distinguish that Scripture which was spoke or written by God immediatly from that which was spoke or writ immediatly by man and but mediatly by God And of this last sort 1. Some of the instruments or penmen are known 2. Some not known Of those known 1. Some that spoke much in Scripture were bad men 3. others were godly And of these some were 1. More eminent and extraordinary as Prophets and Apostles 2. Others were persons more inferiour and ordinary Again as we must distinguish of Scripture and Divine Testimony so must we also distinguish the apprehension or Faith by which we do receive it 1. There is a Divine Faith when we take the Testimony to be Gods own and so believe the thing testified as upon Gods word Secondly There is a Human Faith when we believe it meerly upon the credit of man 2. Faith is either first implicit when we believe the thing is true though we understand not what it is or secondly explicit when we believe and understand
called Christians so named from him do remain Thus far Josephus a Jew by Nation and Religion who wrote this about eighty six years after Christ and fourteen years before the death of St. John Himself being born about five or six years after Christ. 20. Consider also how that every Age hath afforded multitudes of VVitnesses who before were most bitter and violent enemies And divers of these men of note for Learning and place in the world How mad was Saul against the Truth Surely it could be no favour to the Cause nor over-much credulity that caused such men to witness to the death the truth of that for which they had persecuted others to the death but a little before Nor could childish Fables or common flying Tales have so mightily wrought with men of Learning and Understanding For some such were Christians in all Ages 21. Nay observe but the Confessions of these Adversaries when they came to believe How generally and ingenuously they acknowledg their former ignorance and prejudice to have been the cause of their unbelief 22. Consider also how unable all the enemies of the Gospel have been to abolish these sacred Records They could burn the Witnesses by thousands but yet they could never either hinder their succession or extinguish these Testimonies 23. Nay the most eminent Adversaries have had the most eminent ruine As Antiochus Herod Julian with multitudes more This stone having faln upon them hath ground them to powder 24 It were not difficult here to collect from unquestioned Authors a constant succession of VVonders at least to have in several Ages accompanied the Attestation of this Truth and notable judgments that have befaln the persecutors of it And though the Papists by their Fictions and Fabulous Legends have done more wrong to the Christian Cause then ever they are able to repair yet unquestionable History doth afford us very many Examples And even many of those actions which they have deformed with their fabulous additions might yet for the substance have much truth And God might even in times of Popery work some of these wonders though not to confirm their Religion as it was Popish yet to confirm it as the Christian Religion for as he had then his Church and then his Scripture so had he then his special Providences to confirm his Church in their belief and to silence the several enemies of the Faith And therefore I advise those who in their inconsiderate zeal are apt to reject all these Histories of Providences meerly because they were written by Papists or because some Witnesses to the Truth were a little leavened with some Popish errors that they would first view them and consider of their probability of Truth or Falshood that so they may pick out the Truth and not reject all together in the lump least otherwise in their zeal against Popery they should injure Christianity And now I leave any man to judg whether we have not had an infallible way of receiving these Records from the first VVitnesses Not that every of the particulars before mentioned are necessary to the proving or certain receiving the Authentick Records without depravation for you may perceive that almost any two or three of them might suffice and that divers of them are from abundance for fuller confirmation SECT IV. ANd thus I have done with this first Argument drawn from the Miracles which prove the Doctrine and VVritings to be of God But I must satisfie the Scruples of some before I proceed First Some will question whether this be not 1. To resolve our faith into the Testimony of man 2. And so to make it a Humane faith And so 3. To jump in this with the Papists who believe the Scripture for the Authority of the Church and to argue Circularly in this as they To this I Answer First I make in this Argument the last Resolution of my faith into the Miracles wrought to confirm the Doctrine If you ask why I believe the Doctrine to be of God I Answer because it was confirmed by many undeniable Miracles If you ask why I believe those Miracles to be from God I Answer because no created power can work a Miracle So that the Testimony of man is not the Reason of my believing but onely the means by which this matter of Fact is brought down to my Knowledg Again Our Faith cannot be said to be Resolved into that which we give in Answer to your last Interrogation except your Question be onely still of the proper grounds of Faith But if you change your Question from what is the Ground of my Faith to what is the means of conveying down the History to me Then my faith is not Resolved into this means Yet this means or some other equivalent I acknowledg so necessary that without it I had never been like to have believed 2. This shews you also that I argue not in the Popish Circle nor take my faith on their common Grounds For First When you ask them How know you the Testimony of the Church to be Infallible They prove it again by Scripture and ther 's their Circle But as I trust not on the Authority of the Romish Church onely as they do no nor properly to the Authority of any Church no nor onely to the Testimony of the Church but also to the Testimony of the enemies themselves So do I prove the validity of the Testimony I bring from Nature and well known Principles in Reason and not from Scripture it self as you may see before 3. There is a Humane Testimony which is also divine and so an Humane Faith which is also divine Few of Gods extraordinary Revelations have been immediate The best Schoolmen think none of all but either by Angels or by Jesus himself who was man as well as God You will acknowledg if God reveal it to an Angel and the Angel to Moses and Moses to Israel this is a divine Revelation to Israel For that is called a divine Revelation which we are certain that God doth any way Reveal Now I would fain know why that which God doth naturally and certainly Reveal to all men may not as properly be called a Divine Revelation as that which he Reveales by the Spirit to a few Is not this Truth from God That the Senses apprehension of their Object rightly stated s certain as well as this Jesus Christ was born of a Virgin c. Though a Saint or Angel be a fitter Messenger to Reveal the things of the Spirit yet any man may be a Messenger to reveal the things of the flesh An ungodly man if he have better Eyes and Ears may be a better Messenger or Witness of that matter of Fact which he seeth and heareth then a godlier man that is blinde or deaf especially in cases wherein that ungodly man hath no provocation to speak falsly and most of all if his Testimony be against himself I take that Revelation whereby I know
of this Rest proved by Scripture p. 167 Chap. 2. Perswasions to study and preach the divine authority of Scripture p. 174 Chap. 3 Certain distinctions concerning Scripture p. 184 Sixty Positions concerning Scriptures ibid. Chap. 4. The 1. Argument to prove Scripture the Word of God p. 191 That arguing from Miracles testified by man is no Popish resolving our faith into humane testimony p. 206 The excellency of this argument from Miracles p. 208 What the sin against the Holy Ghost is ibid. The necessity of using humane Testimony p. 210 The use of Church-governours and Teachers and how far they are to be obeyed p. 211 The excellent use of Antiquities for matter of fact p. 213 Chap. 5. The 2. Argument to prove Scripture Gods Word p. 214 Chap. 6. The 3. Argument to prove Scripture Gods Word p. 221 Chap. 7. The 4. Argument to prove Scripture Gods Word p. 235 Of extraordinary Temptations p. 237 Of Apparitions p. 238 Of Sateâ— is possessing and tormenting mens bodies p. 241 Of Witches and the devils compacts with them p. 243 The necessity of a written Word p. 245 Chap. 8. This Rest remaineth to none but the People of God p. 252 Chap. 9. Whether separated Souls enjoy Rest before the Resurrection Proved that they do in a great measure by 20. Arguments p. 257 The Contents of the Third Part. CHAP. I. THE first Vse Shewing the unconceivable misery of the wicked in their loss of this Rest. p. 265 The greatness of their loss 1. They lose all the personall perfection of Soul and Body which the Saints have p. 268 2. They lose God himself p. 270 3. They lose all those spirituall delightfull affections by which the blessed do feed on God p. 272 4. They lose the society of Angels and Saints p. 273 Chap. 2. The aggravations of the wickeds loss of Heaven p. 276 1. Their understandings will be cleared to know its worth p. 277 2. And also enlarged to have deeper apprehensions of it p. 279 3. Conscience will fully apply it to themselves ibid. 4. Their effections will be more lively and enlarged p 281 5. Their memories strong to feed their torment p. 283 Ten things concerning their loss of this Rest which it will for ever torment them to remember p. 285 to 298 Chap. 3. Aggravations from the losses which accompany the loss of Rest. p. 299 1. They shall lose their present presumptuous conceit of Gods favour to them and of their part in Christ. p. 300 2. They shall lose all their Hopes p. 303 3. They shall lose their present ease and peace p. 311 4. They shall lose all their carnall mirth p. 315 5. And all their sensuall contentments and delights p. 316 Chap. 4. The greatness of the damneds torments opened p. 319 By eight aggravations of them to p. 328 The certain truth of these torments ibid. The intollerableness of this loss and torment discovered by ten questions p. 332 Chap. 5. The second Vse Reproving the generall neglect of this Rest and exciting to the utmost diligence in seeking it p. 339 1. To the worldly minded that cannot spare time p. 340 2. To the prophane ungodly presumptuous multitude p. 343 3. To lazy formall self-deceiving Professors p. 344 And of these 1. To the opinionative hypocrite 2. And the worldly hypocrite ibid. p. 345 4. To the godly themselves for their great negligence Magistrates Ministers and People p. 35â— Chap. 6. An exhortation to the greatest seriousness in seeking Rest. p. 349 Twenty lively rationall considerations to quicken us up to the greatest diligence that is possible to p. 350 Ten more very quickening considerations p. 365 Ten more very quickening by way of question p. 369 Ten more peculiar to the godly to quicken them p. 374 Chap. 7. The third Vse Perswading all men to try their title to this Rest and directing them in this tryall p 380 Self-examination defined and explained p. 386 The nature of Assurance or certainty of Salvation opened How much and what the Spirit doth to the producing it And what Scripture what Knowledg what Faith what Holiness and Evidences what Conscience or internall sense and what Reason or discourse do in this work p. 388 What the seal of the Spirit is What the testimony of the Spirit and what the testimony of Conscience p. 391 Against the common distinction of certainty of Evidence and of adherence p. 392 That we are justified and beloved of God is not properly to be believed much less immediatly and by all men ibid. That Assurance may be here attained though not perfect Assurance p. 393 Hinderances that keep from examination 1. Satan p 39â— 2. Wicked men p 397 3. Hinderances in our own hearts p. 398 Hinderances of Assurance in those that do examine p. 400 Further causes of want of Assurance among the most of the godly themselves p. 402 1. Weakness and small measure of Grace p. 403 2. Looking more what they are then what they should do to be better ibid. 3. Mistaking or confounding Assurance and the joy of Assurance p. 405 4. Ignorant of Gods way of conveying Assurance p. 406 5. Expecting a greater measure then God usually giveth here p. 407 6. Taking up comfort in the beginning on unsound or uncertain grounds when yet perhaps they have better grounds and do not see them and then when the weakness of their grounds appear they cast away their comforts too as if all were nought p. 408 7. Imperfection of Reason and naturall parts p. 409 8. The secret maintaining some known sin p. 410 9. Growing lazy in the spirituall part of duty and not keeping graces in constant action p. 411 10. Prevalency of Melancholy in the body p. 414 Chap. 8. An Exhortation to examine our title to Rest. p. 415 Severall Motives to p. 428 Chap. 9. A direction how to manage the work of Self-examination throughly that it may succeed p. 428 Two marks whereby you may infallibly Judg. p. 434 Chap. 10. The fourth Vse The Reasons of the Saints afflictions in this life p. 439 Some Considerations to help us to bear them joyfully drawn from their reference to this Rest. p. 441 Some objections of the afflicted answered p. 452 Chap. 11. An Exhortation to those that have got Assurance of this Rest or title to it to do all that possibly they can to help others to the like p. 458 Here is shewed 1. wherein the duty doth consist p. 459 Directions are added for right performance p. 464 Besides the great duty of private exhortation we must help them to enjoy use and improve the publique Ordinances p. 475 2. The common Hinderances of faithfull endeavours to save mens souls p. 482 Some objections against this duty answered p. 488 Motives to perswade all Christians to this duty p. 491 Chap. 12. An advice to some more especially to help others to this Rest Prest largely on Ministers and Parents p. 501 And 1. To men of ability 2. Or interest 3. Physitians 4. Rich men
veterem Apostolorum Traditionem ne in conceptionem quidem mentis admittunt quodcunque Haereticorum portentiloquium est I have been the larger in proving an Immortal Life after this because I finde none doubt of the Authority of Scripture but they doubt of the Immortality of the Soul too among us This joyned with the Evident Vanity of all other Religions is an excellent medium to confirm us in the Christian Religion For if we must be happy or miserable for ever sure there is some true Religion teaching the way to Happiness That all other Religions are false any man that lives out of the dust and smoke of prejudice may see with one eye That there is a future Happiness or Misery is evident to Nature or else how would all Nations so universally acknowledg it The Ancient Barbarians beleeved the Immortality of the Soul as of the Getae Herodotus witnesseth Lib. 4. And of the Egyptians Diodorus Siculus l. 1. Biblioth numb 93. The very Inhabitants of Guiny Virginia Guiana Peru Chyna Mexico c. do beleeve a happiness and misery hereafter As Descrip. Reg. Afric Guineae cap. 21.44 Acosta lib. 5. c. 7 8. Hug. Linscot part 1. cap. 25. Jo. Lerius cap. 16. Sir Walter Rawleigh c. witness What Poet speaks not De Tartaro Campis Elisiis manibus And Philosophers of best note except Galen Epicurus Plinius c. As for Pythagoras and his Master Pherecides the Druides the Indian Brachmanes Socrates Plato Cicero Seneca they all acknowledg it Lege Marsil Ficinum de Immort Animae Yea Aristotle himself as is evident De anima lib. 1. context 65 66. Lib. 2. context 21. Lib. 3. context 4 6 7 19 20. Yet we must not take the same course with all men to convince them of Scripture Authority We must first deal with an Atheist In habitu Philosophico before we plead or directly prove Scripture Authority of which see learned Ludovicus Crocius Syntagm l. 1. p. 126. The validity of that Humane Testimony which here we have most use for dependeth not on any Authority thereto conferred from God as Romanists fondly imagine but on men as sensible rational and of common honesty The Testimony of the enemies is more strong then of friends Strabo witnesseth Lib. 16. Geogra of Moses and the ancient Israelites That they were truly righteous and godly men So doth Josephus testifie of John Baptist and James And Pliny of the Primitive Christians Lib. 10. Epist. 101. But I pass these as not intending a full handling of this subject The best that I know already extant on it is Grotius and Du Plessis and I would some able man would do yet more For my own part I have had so many rare convincing experiences of the fulfilling of Promises to me and answering Prayers by wonders of unusual Providences That serve mightily to conform me by seconding my Arguments And were it fit to speak so much of my own matters I would produce them for the confirming of others Were it not to digress I should here express my admiration That so many learned men should lean towards Rome meerly upon a conceit That there is a flat necessity of some Vltimately Decisive Judicial Expounder of Scripture and that must needs be their Church For they think it abominable that every man should be Judg. At present I would but know of them First Whether they speak of Fundamental plain places of Scripture or of more obscure and of less moment For the former First Where there is such Plainness there needs a Teacher to the Ignorant but not a Judg Among Christians Fundamentals are no Controversies Secondly And if the Judg mistake in Fundamentals if we obey him we must renounce our Faith Secondly If the Pope or his Councel of Prelates be Judg how shall all people in the Kingdoms of the World know what Exposition they give Hear their voices they cannot If by their written Canons who shall expound them to the people If another Pope or Councel who shall expound their Exposition and so in Infinitum I do not see but God speaks as plainly as the Councel of Trent and as easie to be understood Thirdly Doth the Pope and Prelates know the meaning of Scripture by rational means or by Euthusiasm or by some Superior Judg If by rational means why may not as learned Doctors know it as well by the same If by some other Judg Who is it If they beleeve Scripture or the Sense of it upon their own Authority who will regard such self idolizing wretches Fourthly If there be a means left of God for a true deciding all Controversies and resolving all difficulties in Scripture then why are not all resolved and why are we not perfect in knowledg The plain Truth is Christ is the onely proper Judg himself and hath left us his Laws and Magistrates to see that we obey them and Ministers to teach us the meaning of them Every man of these is bound to judg rightly of the Sense of these Laws every particular man that he may obey them And if he mistake he sineth and must answer it to God and in some cases to Magistrates and Overseers The Magistrate is to judg rightly when any is punishable and if he erre he must answer it to the Supream and he to God The Ministers are to judg rightly of the Sense of Scripture that they may teach them others and admonish and censure accordingly and if they mistake they are in Synods to consult for Information and in cases of difficulty beyond their own reach to obey the Decrees of such a lawful Synod But to expect a final decisive Judgment of all Controversies on Earth is vain And that Synods should be too bold in determining what God hath left doubtful and utterly uncertain is destructive to the Vnitie and Peace of the Church rather then conducible And for men to beleeve any of their Conclusions or obey any of their Canons when we are sure That they are contrary to the Word of God this were to change our Master and take them for Christ the Prophet who are but his Ambassadors and Vshers in his School When we have disputed and contended our selves aweary and wrangled the Church into flames and ashes yet that which God hath spoken obscurely and so left difficult in it self will remain obscure and difficult still And that which is difficult through the weakness and incapacity of the Readers will be far better cleared by a rational Explication then by a â—are Canon O when will the Lord once perswade his Churches â—o take his Scripture Laws for the onely Canon of their Faith â—nd that in their own naked Simplicity and Evidence without â—he Canons and Comments of men which are no parts of our Creed but helps to our understandings and bounds to our practice 〈◊〉 matters circumstantial which God hath left to mans determinaâ—ion When will the Lord perswade us not to be wise above what 〈◊〉 written but to acknowledg that to be beyond
strength of Faith but ordinarily to the very beeing of Faith and Churches 20. Not that the present Possession of Scripture is of absolute necessity to the present beeing of a Church not that it is so absolute necessary to every mans salvation that he read or knew this Scripture himself But that it either be at present or have been formerly in the Church that some knowing it may teach it to others is of absolute necessity to most persons and Churches and necessary to the well-beeing of all 21. Though negative unbelief of the authority of Scripture may stand with salvation yet positive and universal I think cannot Or though Tradition may save where Scripture is not known yet he that reads or hears the Scripture and will not believe it to be the Testimony of God I think cannot be saved because this is now the clearest and surest Revelation And he that will not believe it will muchless believe a Revelation more uncertain and obscure 22. Though all Scripture be of Divine Authority yet he that believeth but some one Book which containeth the substance of the Doctrine of salvation may be saved much more they that have doubted but of some particular Books 23. They that take the Scripture to be but the Writings of godly honest men and so to be only a means of making known Christ having a gradual precedency to the Writings of other godly men and do believe in Christ upon those strong grounds which are drawn from his Doctrine Miracles c. rather then upon the Testimony of the Writing as being purely infallible and Divine may yet have a Divine and saving faith 24. Much more those that believe the whole Writing to be of Divine inspiration where it handleth the substance but doubt whether God infallibly guided them in every circumstance 25. And yet more those that believe that the Spirit did guide the Writers to Truth both in Substance and Circumstance but doubt whether he guided them in Orthography or whether their Pens were as perfectly guided as their minds 26. And yet more may those have saving Faith who onely doubt whether Providence infallibly guided any Transcribers or Printers as to retain any Copy that perfectly agreeth with the Autograph 27. Yet do all these in my judgment cast away a singular prop to their faith and lay it open to dangerous assaults and doubt of that which is a certain truth 28. As the Translations are no further Scripture then they agree with the Copies in the Original Tongues so neither are those Copies further then they agree with the Autographs or Original Copies or with some Copies perused and approved by the Apostles 29. Yet is there not the like necessity of having the Autographs to try the Transcripts by as there is of having the Original Transcripts to try the Translations by For there is an impossibility that any Translation should perfectly express the sense of the Original But there is a possibility probability and facility of true Transcribing and grounds to prove it true de facto as we shall touch anon 30. That part which was written by the Finger of God as also the substance of Doctrine through the whole Scriptures are so purely Divine that they have not in them any thing humane 31. The next to these are the words that were spoken by the mouth of Christ and then those that were spoken by Angels 32. The Circumstantials are many of them so Divine as yet they have in them something Humane as the bringing of Pauls Cloak and Parchments and as it seems his counsel about Marriage c. 33. Much more is there something Humane in the Method and Phrase which is not so immediatly Divine as the Doctrine 34. Yet is there nothing sinfully Humane and therefore nothing false in all 35. But an innocent imperfection there is in the Method and Phrase which if we deny we must renounce most of our Logick and Rhetorick 36. Yet was this imperfect way at that time all things considered the fittest way to divulge the Gospel That is the best Language which is best suited to the Hearers and not that which is best simply in it self and supposeth that understanding in the Hearers which they have not Therefore it was Wisdom and Mercy to fit the Scripture to the capacity of all Yet will it not therefore follow that all Preachers at all times should as much neglect Definition Distinction Syllogisme c. as Scripture doth 37. Some Doctrinal passages in Scripture are onely Historically related and therefore the relating them is no asserting them for truth and therefore those sentences may be false and yet not the Scripture false yea some falshoods are written by way of reproving them as Gehezies Lye Sauls Excuse c. 38. Every Doctrine that is thus related onely Historically is therefore of doubtful credit because it is not a Divine assertion except Christ himself were the Speaker and therefore it is to be tried by the rest of the Scripture 39. Where ordinary men were the Speakers the credit of such Doctrines is the more doubtful and yet much more when the Speakers were wicked of the former sort are the Speeches of Jobs friends and divers others of the later sort are the Speeches of the Pharisees c. and perhaps Gamaliels counsel Act. 5.34 40. Yet where God doth testifie his Inspiration or Approbation the Doctrine is of Divine Authority though the Speaker be wicked As in Balaams Prophesie 41. The like may be said of matter of Fact for it is not either necessary or lawful to speak such words or do such actions meerly because men in Scripture did so speak or do no not though they were the best Saints for their own speeches or actions are to be judged by the Law and therefore are no part of the Law themselves And as they are evil where they cross the Law as Josephs swearing the Ancients Polygamy c. so are they doubtful where their congruence with the Law is doubtful 42. But here is one most observable exception conducing much to resolve the great doubt whether Examples binde Where men are designed by God to such an Office and act by Commission and with a promise of Direction their Doctrines are of Divine Authority though we finde not where God did dictate and their Actions done by that Commission are currant and Exemplary so far as they are intended or performed for Example and so Example may be equivalent to a Law and the Argument a facto ad jus may hold So Moses being appointed to the forming of the old Church and Commonwealth of the Jews to the building of the Tabernacle c. his Precepts and Examples in these works though we could not finde his particular direction are to be taken as Divine So also the Apostles having Commission to Form and Order the Gospel Churches their Doctrine and Examples therein are by their general Commission warranted and their practice in stablishing the Lords Day in setling the
chiefly pressed those Duties which must be used for the attainment of this Everlasting Rest. In this I shall chiefly handle those which are necessary to raise the heart to God and to our Heavenly and comfortable life on Earth It is a Truth too evident which an inconsiderate Zealot reprehended in Master CULVERWELL as an Error That many of Gods Children do not enjoy that sweet Life and blessed Estate in this World which God their Father hath provided for them That is Which he offereth them in his Promises and chargeth upon them as their duty in his Precepts and bringeth even to their hands in all his Means and Mercies God hath set open Heaven to us in his Word and told every humble sincere Christian That they shall shortly there live with himself in unconceiveable Glory and yet where is the person that is affected with this Promise whose heart leaps for joy at the hearing of the news or that is willing in hopes of Heaven to leave this World But even the godly have as strange unsavory thoughts of it as if God did but delude us and there were no such Glory and are almost as loath to die as men without hope The consideration of this strange disagreement between our Professions and Affections caused me to suspect that there was some secret lurking unbelief in all our hearts and therefore I wrote those Arguments in the second Part for the Divine Authority of the Scripture And because I finde another cause to be the carelesness forgetfulness and idleness of the Soul and not keeping in action that Faith which we have I have here attempted the removal of that cause by prescribing a course for the daily acting of those Graces which must fetch in the Celestial Delights into the heart O the Princely joyful blessed Life that the godly lose through meer idleness As the Papists have wronged the merits of Christ by their ascribing too much to our own Works so it is almost incredible how much they on the other extream have wronged the safety and consolation of mens Souls by telling them that their own endevors are onely for Obedience and Gratitude but are not so much as Conditions of their Salvation or Means of their increased Sanctification or Consolation And while some tell them That they must look at nothing in themselves for Acceptation with God or Comfort and so make that Acceptance and Comfort to be equally belonging to a Christian and a Turk And others tell them That they must look at nothing in themselves but onely as signes of their good Estate This hath caused some to expect onely Enthusiastick Consâ—lations and others to spend their days in enquiring after signes of their sincerity Had these poor Souls well understood that Gods way to perswade their wills and to excite and actuate their Affections is by the Discourse Reasoning or Consideration of their Vnderstandings upon the Nature and Qualifications of the Objects which are presented to them And had they bestowed but that time in exercising holy Affections and in serious Thoughts of the promised Happiness which they have spent in enquiring onely after Signes I am confident according to the ordinary Workings of God they would have been better provided both with Assurance and with Joyes How should the Heir of a Kingdom have the comfort of his Title but by fore-thinking on it It s true God must give us our Comforts by his Spirit But how by quickening up our souls to beleeve and consider of the promised Glory and not by comforting us we know not how nor why or by giving men the foretasts of Heaven when they never think of it I have here prescribed thee Reader the delightfullest task to the Spirit and the most tedâ—ous to the Flesh that ever men on Earth were imployed in I did it first onely for my self but am loath to conceal the means that I have found so consolaâ—ory If thou be one that wilt not be perswaded to a course so laborious but wilt onely go on in thy task of common formal duties thou mayest let it alone and so be destitute of delights except such as the World and thy Forms can afford thee but then do not for shame complain for want of comfort when thou dost wilfully reject it And be not such an Hypocrite as to pray for it while thou dost refuse to labor for it If thou say Thy comfort is all in Christ I must tell thee it is a Christ remembred and loved and not a Christ forgotten or onely talked of that will solidly comfort Though the Directory for Contemplation was onely intended for this Part yet I have now premised two other Uses The heart must be taken off from Resting on Earth before it will be fit to converse above The first Part of saving Religion is the taking God onely for our End and Rest. CHAP. I. USE VI. Reproving our Expectations of Rest on Earth SECT I. DOth this Rest remain How great then is our sin and folly to seek and expect it here Where shall we finde the Christian that deserves not this Reproof Surely we may all cry guilty to this accusation We know not how to enjoy convenient Houses Goods Lands and Revenues but we seek Rest in these enjoyments We seldom I fear have such sweet and heart contenting thoughts of God and Glory as we have of our earthly delights How much Rest do the voluptuous seek in Buildings Walks Apparel Ease Recreations Sleep pleasing Meats and Drinks merry Company Health and Strength and long Life Nay we can scarce enjoy the necessary Means that God hath appointed for our Spiritual good but we are seeking Rest in them Do we want Minister Godly Society or the like helps O think we if it were but thus and thus with us we were well Do we enjoy them O how we settle upon them and bless our selves in them as the rich fool in his wealth Our Books our Preachers Sermons Friends Abilities for Duty do not our hearts hug them and quiet themselves in them even more then in God Indeed in words we disclaim it and God hath usually the preheminence in our tongues and professions but it s too apparent that it s otherwise in our hearts by these Discoveries First Do we not desire these more violently when we want them then we do the Lord himself Do we not cry out more sensibly O my Friend my Goods my Health then O my God! Do we not miss Ministry and Means more passionately then we miss our God Do we not bestir our selves more to obtain and enjoy these then we do to recover our communion with God Secondly Do we not delight more in the Possession of these then we do in the fruition of God himself Nay be not those mercies and duties most pleasant to us wherein we stand at greatest distance from God We can read and study and confer preach and hear day after day without much weariness because in these we have to do with
may please God in some respect secundum quid as Ahabs Humiliation A flat necessity both of coming to God as the End or our chief Good and to Christ as the way to the Father * Viz. As it is put for all obedience to the Commands proper to the Gospel Which part of this turning goes first The terminus a quo considerable before the terminus ad quâ—m in order of nature Object Answ. § 5. As the Will turns from evil so at the same time to God and the Mediator 1 To the Godhead in order of Nature 2 To the Mediator as the way which is by Faith John 14.6 Acts 20.21 5.31 11.18 26.20 What justifying Faith is It s proper Act is the Acceptation of Christ offered * So Doctor Prestons judgment is and Master Woollis against the Lord Brook p. 94. It is an Accepting of Christ offered rather then the belief of a Proposition affirmed So that excellent Philosopher and Divine Love to Christ whether it be not Essential to justifying Faith See more of this in the Positions of Justification Love to Christ must be the strongest Love Luke 14.26 Doctor Sibbs Souls Conflict Justifying Faith is the Accepting Christ both for Saviour and Lord. So that our Subjection to Christ as our Lord is part of that Faith which justifieth How this differs from the abhorred doctrine of the Socinians you may see in the Aphorisms of Justification What Christ doth for us upon our Acceptance Covenanting with Christ is an essential part of our actual Conversion and of our Christianity Next Christ delivereth himself to the sinner and he delivereth himself up to Christ. Lastly The believer persevereth in this Covenant and all the forementioned grounds of it to the death Heb. 10.29 Matth. 24.13 Revel 2.26 27. 3.11 12. John 15.4 5 6. 8.31 15.9 Col. â— 23 Rom. 11.22 § 6. The Application of this Description by way of Examination Whether thy Infant Baptism will serve or no I am sure thy Infant Covenant will not now serve thy turne But thou must Actually enter Covenant in thy own person John 15.4 5 6. Matth 24.13 Heb. 10.38 39. * I speak not this to the dark and clouded Christian who cannot discern â—hat which is indeed within him Deut. 32.29 § 7. Why called People of God 1 By Election 2 Special Redemption 3 Likeness to him 1 Pet. 1.16 4 Mutual Love 5 Mutual Covenanting 6 Neer Relations 7 Future Cohabitation ☜ §. 1. Confirmation from other Scriptures The Truth confirmed from other Scriptures 1 Affirming the Saints to have been predestinate to this glory Isa. 14.24 2 That it is procured for them by the blood of Christ. Paul Hobson * I confesse the later is the more proper expression and oftner used in the Scriptures Exod. 23.22 Psal. 11.5 Psal. 5.5 Isa. 63.10 Lam. 2.5 Paul Hobson Iâ—a 53.11 § 3. 3 It is promised to them § 4. 4 The means and motions towards it do prove that there is such an end * Mr. Burroughs thinks this is meant of the violence of persecution but Lukes phrase coâ—â—uteth that § 5. 5 So do the beginnings fâ—â—â—tasts earnests and seals 2 Cor. 1.22 5.5 §. 6. 6 Some have entered it already § 1. ☜ a I mean not an absolute necessity as if what is said were not convincing b I believe Mr. Eliot in New England will have more comfort in his work for those Indians then we in England in our controversies and contentions about inferiour things c By Testimony I mean not the cure of the understandings disability for that 's necessary either by common grace to work a common Faith or by speciall grace for speciall Faith Doct. Presion on Attributes pag. 57. d I mean it is now to us the onely ordinary sufficient means of revealing Christ. Religio 〈◊〉 Chiâ—â—â—â— pâ—r Apostâ—los tradiâ—a Scripta est super scripta Prophetarum Apostolorum fundata Dr. Sutlive Contra Bellarm. de Monach pag. 11. See Dr Jackson of Saving Faith Sect. 2. cap. 2. pag. 143. c. See this more fully in Dr. Preston on the Attributes pag. 61 62 63 64. Yet we acknowledg it belongs to the Church first To be a Witness and Keeper of the Scriptures secondly To judg and discern betwixt Scriptures which are true and genuine and which are false and supposititious or Apocryphal thirdly To divulge and preach the Scriptures fourthly To expound and interpret them Dr. Whitaker De Sacra scriptura Q. 3. contr 1. cap. 2. pag. 203 204. * I would fain know of any Papist why their Church believes the Scripture to be the Word of God If the Laiety must believe it upon the authority of the Church and this Church be the Pope and his Clergy then it followeth that the Pope and Clergy believe it on their Authority As Paraeus in Thâ—mat Seculari xv Et quia Papa solus vel cum praelatis est Ecclesia ideo Papa praelati Scripturis credunt propler seipsos lâ—icos voluit crâ—dere Scripturis propter Papam praelatos a Sicut in Poloniá ubi non solum preces recitant â—ala criminosa contra Christianos corum magistratus continentes sedetiam aâ—dacter sâ—â—e on â—â— christianorum metu imprimunt quaecunque volunt ut testatur Buxtorsius Synagogae Judaicae c. 5 p 170. 1 Pet. 3.15 b As Graserus when he saw his legs begin to swell with a Dropsie said Euge Deo sit laus gloria quod jam mea instet liberatio horula gratissima Melch. Adam in vita Graseri § 2. Impias argumentationes si ratio refutare non possit fides irridere debet quae ratiocinationes evertit in captivitatem redigit omnem intellectum in Christi obsequium August * Though 〈◊〉 extend 〈…〉 far as 〈…〉 a Sequor te non quâ— duâ—is sed quo trahis inquit Scaliger ad Câ—rdanum in Exercit * He that doubts of this let him see Dr. Jackson of Saving Faith pag. 146.147 And Mr Pinkes Sermons of the Sincerity of Love to Christ * Articulus 6. fidei Judaicae sic se habet Credo perfectâ fide quod omne quodcunque prophetae docuerunt locuti fuerunt veritas sincera sit Oâ—tvus autem sic Credo perfecta fide quod lex tota perinde ut ea bodierno tempore in manibus nostris est it a per Deum ipsummet Mosi tradita sit vid. Buxtorf Synagogae Judaicae cap. 1. pag. 4.5 § 1. § 2. The word Foundation being a Metaphor is to be banished dispute till first explained a Ad benè esse fidei perfectionem b Necessitate praecepti * Primario propter se Secundario propter aliud A facto ad jus ad licitum vel debitum non valet Argum. As Peter Gal. 2.11 12.13 § 1. 2 Tim. 3.16 * Donum Miraculorum linguarum dandarum fuisse extraordinarium et a solis Apostolis peculiari privelegio dato a Christo
not of the world and therefore the world hates them who have forsaken all for Christ and having taken up the Cross do follow him with patient waiting till they inherit the promised Glory SECT V. 4. I Add That this Happiness consists in obtaining the End where I mean the ultimate and principal end not any end secundum quid so called subordinate or less principal Not the end of conclusion in regard of time for so every man hath his end But the end of Intention which sets the Soul a work and is its prime motive in all its actions That the chief Happiness is in the enjoyment of this End I shall fully shew through the whole Discourse and therefore here omit SECT VI. BUt it is a great doubt with many whether the obtainment of this glory may be our end nay concluded that its mercenary yea that to make Salvation the end of Duty is to be a Legalist and act under a Covenant of Works whose Tenor is Do this and Live And many that think it may be our end yet think it may not be our ultimate end for that should be onely the glory of God I shall answer these particularly and briefly SECT VII 1. IT 's properly called mercenary when we expect it as wages for work done and so we may not make it our end Otherwise it is only such a mercenariness as Christ commandeth For consider what this end is It 's the fruition of God in Christ and if seeking Christ be mercenary I desire to be so mercenary 2. It 's not a note of a Legalist neither It hath been the ground of a multitude of Late mistakes in Divinity to think that Do this and Live is onely the language of the Covenant of Works It 's true in some sence it is but in other not The Law of Works onely saith Do this that is perfectly fulfil the whole Law and Live that is for so doing But the Law of Grace saith Do this and Live too that is Beleeve in Christ seek him obey him sincerely as thy Lord and King forsake all suffer all things and overcome and by so doing or in so doing as the Conditions which the Gospel propounds for Salvation you shall live If you set up the abrogated duties of the Law again you are a Legalist if you set up the duties of the Gospel in Christs stead in whole or in part you err still Christ hath his place and work Duty hath its place and work too Set it but in its own place and expect from it but it s own part and you go right Yea more how unsavory soever the phrase may seem you may so far as this comes to trust to your Duty and Works that is for your own part and many miscarry in expecting no more from them as to pray and to expect nothing the more that is from Christ in a way of Duty For if duty have no share why may we not trust Christ as well in a way of disobedience as duty In a word you must both use and trust duty in Subordination to Christ but neither use them nor trust them in Co-ordination with him So that this derogates nothing from Christ for he hath done and will do all his work perfectly and enableth his people to Theirs Yet he is not properly said to do it himself he beleeves not repents not c. but worketh these in them that is enableth and exciteth them to do it SECT VIII IF I should quote all the Scriptures that plainly prove this I should transcribe a great part of the Bible I will bring none out of the Old Testament for I know not whether their Authority will here be acknowledged But I desire the contrary minded whose consciences are tender of abusing Scripture and wresting it from the plain sence to study what tolerable interpretation can be given of these following places which will not prove that Life and Salvation may be yea must be the end of Duty Joh 5.39 40. Ye will not come to me that ye might have life Mat. 11.12 The Kingdom of Heaven suffereth violence and the violent take it by force Mat. 7.13 Luk. 13.24 Strive to enter in at the strait gate Phil. 2.12 Work out your salvation with fear and trembling Rom. 2.7 10. To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honor and immortality eternal life Glory honor and peace to every man that worketh good c. 1 Cor. 9.24 So run that you may obtain 2 Tim. 2.5 A man is not crowned except he strive lawfully 2 Tim. 2.12 If we suffer with him we shall reign with him 1 Tim. 6.12 Fight the good fight of faith lay hold on eternal life 1 Tim. 6.18 19. That they do good works laying up a good foundation against the time to come that they may lay hold on eternal life Phil. 3.14 If by any means I might attain to the Resurrection of the Dead I press toward the mark for the price of the high calling c. Rev. 22.14 Blessed are they that do his commandments that they may have right to the tree of life and enter in by the gates into the City Mat. 25. Come ye blessed of my Father inherit c. for I was hungry and ye c. Mat. 9. Blessed are the pure in heart c. they that hunger and thirst c. Be glad and rejoyce for great is your reward in Heaven Luk. 11.28 Blessed are they that hear the Word of God and keep it Yea the escaping of Hell is a right end of Duty to a Beleever Hebr. 4.1 Let us fear least a promise being left us of entering into his Rest any of you should seem to come short of it Luk. 12.5 Fear him that is able to destroy both soul and body in hell yea whatsoever others say I say unto you Fear him 1 Cor. 9.27 I keep under my body and bring it in subjection lest when I have preached to others I my self should be a cast-away Multitudes of Scriptures and Scripture Arguments might be brought but these may suffice to any that beleeve Scripture SECT IX 3. FOr those that think this Rest may be our end but not our ultimate end that must be Gods glory onely let them consider What God hath joyned man must not separate The glorifying himself and the saving his people as I judg are not two Decrees with God but one Decree to glorifie his mercy in their salvation So I think they should be with us one Intention We should aim at the glory of God not alone considered without our salvation but in our salvation Therefore I know no warrant for putting such a Question to our selves as some do Whether we could be content to be damned so God were glorified Sure I am Christ himself is offered to faith in terms for the most part respecting the welfare of the sinner more then his own abstracted glory he would be
contrary with thee or if no such work be found within thee but thy soul be a stranger to all this and thy conscience tell thee it is none of thy case The Lord have mercy on thy soul and open thine eyes and do this great work upon thee and by his mighty power overcome thy resistance For in the case thou art in there is no hope What ever thy deceived heart may think or how strong soever thy false hopes be or though now a little while thou flatter thy soul in confidence and security Yet wilt thou shortly finde to thy cost except thy through conversion do prevent it that thou art none of these people of God and the Rest of the Saints belongs not to thee Thy dying hour draws neer apace and so doth that great day of separation when God will make an everlasting difference between his people and his enemies Then wo and for ever wo to thee if thou be found in the state that thou art now in Thy own tongue will then proclaim thy wo with a thousand times more dolor and vehemence then mine can possibly do it now O that thou wert wise to consider this and that thou wouldst remember thy latter end That yet while thy soul is in thy body and a price in thy hand and day light and opportunity and hope before thee thine ears might be open to instruction and thy heart might yield to the perswasions of God and thou mightest bend all the powers of thy soul about this great work that so thou mightest Rest among his People and enjoy the inheritance of the Saints in Light And thus I have shewed you who these People of God are SECT VII ANd why they are called the People of God you may easily from what is said discern the Reasons 1. They are the People whom he hath chosen to himself from eternity 2. And whom Christ hath redeemed with an absolute intent of saving them which cannot be said of any other 3. Whom he hath also renewed by the power of his grace and made them in some sort like to himself stamping his own Image on them and making them holy as he is holy 4. They are those whom he embraceth with a peculiar Love and do again love him above all 5. They are entered into a strict and mutual Covenant wherein it is agreed for the Lord to be their God and they to be his People 6. They are brought into neer relation to him even to be his Servants his Sons and the Members and Spouse of his Son 7. And lastly They must live with him for ever and be perfectly blessed in enjoying his Love and beholding his Glory And I think these are Reasons sufficient why they particularly should be called his People The Conclusion ANd thus I have explained to you the subject of my Text and shewed you darkly and in part what this Rest is and briefly who are this People of God O that the Lord would now open your eyes and your hearts to discern and be affected with the Glory Revealed That he would take off your hearts from these dunghil delights and ravish them with the views of these Everlasting Pleasures That he would bring you into the state of this Holy and Heavenly People for whom alone this Rest remaineth That you would exactly try your selves by the foregoing Description That no Soul of you might be so damnably deluded as to take your natural or acquired parts for the Characters of a Saint O happy and thrice happy you if these Sermons might have such success with your Souls That so you might die the death of the Righteous and your last End might be like his For this Blessed Issue as I here gladly wait upon you in Preaching so will I also wait upon the Lord in Praying FINIS THE SAINTS Everlasting REST. The Second Part. Containing the Proofes of the Truth and Certain futurity of our REST. And that the Scripture promising that Rest to us is The perfect infallible Word and Law of God For the Prophesie came not in old time by the will of man but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost 2 Pet. 1.21 Verily I say unto you till heaven and earth pass one jot or one title shall in no wise pass from the Law till all be fulfilled Mat. 5.18 They have Moses and the Prophets let them hear them If they hear not Moses and the Prophets neither will they be perswaded though one rose from the dead Luk. 16.29 31. Ego solis iis Scripturarum libris qui jam Canonici appellantur didici hunc timorem honoremque deferre ut nullum eorum authorum scribendo aliquid errasse firmissimè credam Aug. Ep. 9. ad Hieron Major est hujus Scripturae Authoritas quam omnis humani ingenii perspicacitas August li. 15. super Genes ad liter London Printed by Rob. White for T. Vnderhill and F. Tyton and are to be sold at the sign of the Bible in great Woodstreet and at the three Daggers in Fleetstreet 1649. To my dearly beloved Friends The Inhabitants of BRIDGNORTH Both Magistrates and People Richard Baxter Devoteth this Part of this TREATISE In Testimony of his unfeigned love to them who were the first to whom he was sent as fixed to publish the Gospel And in thankfulness to the Divine Majesty who there priviledged and protected him HUmbly beseeching the God of Mercy both to save them from that spirit of Pride Separation and Levity which hath long been working among them and also to awake them throughly from their negligence and security by his late heavy judgments on them And that as the flames of War have consumed their houses so the Spirit of God may consume the sin that was the cause And by those flames they may be effectually warned to prevent the everlasting flames And that their new-built houses may have new-born Inhabitants And that the next time God shall search and try them he may not finde one house among them where his Word is not daily studied and obeyed and where they do not fervently call upon his Name TO THE READER IT was far from my thoughts when I first begun it to have so enlarged this as to be a Part entire Most of it dropt from my Pen besides my first purpose Had I intended to say so much of the Authority of Scripture I should have stayed till I had the benefit of a Library that I might have furnished it better with Humane Testimony which I here insist on as so necessary Though our History of the first and second Century be lamentably imperfect yet much for the ends here mentioned may be produced I would not have young Students begin with the large Volumns of later Fathers but I could wish they would read betime the Writers of the three first Centuries especially those that argue for the Christian Faith or mix matters of Fact with their
give them such rejoycings in it and yet never bestow it on them It cannot be Nay doth he give them the earnest of the inheritance Eph. 1.14 And Seal them with the Holy Spirit of promise Eph. 1.13 And yet will he deny the full possession These absurdities may not be charged on an ordinary man much less on the Faithfull and Righteous God SECT VI. SIxthly And Lastly The Scripture mentioneth particularly and by name those who have entered into this Rest. As Henoch who was taken up to God So Abraham Lazarus the thief that was crucified with Christ c. And if there be a Rest for these sure there is a Rest for all believers CHAP. II. Motives to study and preach the Divine Authority of Scripture SECT I. THus much may suffice where the Scripture is believed to confirm the truth of the point in hand viz. The certain futurity of the Saints Rest. And for Pagans and Infidels who believe not Scripture it is besides the intention of this discourse to endeavor their conviction I am endeavouring the consolation and edification of Saints and not the information and conversion of Pagans Yet do I acknowledg the subject exceeding necessary even to the Saints themselves for Sathans assaults are oft made at the foundation and if he can perswade them to question the verity of Scripture they will soon cast away their hopes of Heaven But if I should here enter upon that task to prove Scripture to be the infallible word of God I should make too broad a digression and set upon a work as larg as the maine for whose sake I should undertake it Neither am I insensible of how great difficulty it would prove to manage it satisfactorily and how much more then my ability is thereto requisite Yet lest the tempted Christian should have no relief nor any Argument at hand against the temptation I shall adventure upon a confirming Argument or two but I shall premise first a word of entreaty to my brethren of the Ministery to preach this a little more to their people And that not any body but some of the choicest whom God hath especially furnished for such a task would be pleased in a full Treatise to undertake it To which end I give them some of the Reasons of my request entreating the Lord to enable and perswade some of them to the work 1. I desire them to consider whether any thing yet published be neer compleat or such as the weight of the subject requires Whether much more may not be said and is necessary to be said then is yet said by any that hath writ on this subject 2. Whether if Christians who have opportunity do their duty would it not be a singular part of their work to endeavour the conversion of Pagans and Infidels And as I said before without some Arguments to demonstrate to them the verity of Scripture how are we furnished for such a work Or what have we to say but naked affirmation Yea how can we maintain the credit of Christianity if we were put to dispute the case with an unbeliever 3. Whether the assertion of some of our Divines that a naturall man without the extraordinary Testimony of the Spirit cannot be perswaded of the verity of Scripture notwithstanding all Arguments that can be produced be not very derogatory to the Authority of Scripture and do not justifie the world in their unbeliefe for it is not their sin to deny assent to that which hath not sufficient evidence As if we confessed to them we have not Arguments to convince you but you must be convinced by the Spirit without Arguments as if the Spirit did not deal with us as rationall creatures and did perswade without Argument and not by it As if many wicked men did not believe the truth of Scripture Yet I confesse ther 's great difference betwixt naturall and Spirituall beliefe 4. Is not this the ground-work of the whole Fabrick of Christianity And the very foundation of our faith And therefore should it not be timely and soundly laid and frequently and clearly taught 5. Is not Faith a rational Act of a rational Creature And so the Understanding proceeds discursively in its production And is not that the strongest Faith which hath the strongest Reasons to prove the Testimony to be valid upon which it resteth and the clearest apprehension and use of those Reasons And the truest Faith which hath the truest Reasons truly apprehended and used And must not that on the contrary be a weak or false faith which receives the Verity and Validity of the Testimony from weak or false Grounds though the Testimony of it self be the truest in the world Our Divines use to say concerning love to Christ that it is not to be measured by the degree of Fervor so much as by the Grounds and Motives so that if a man should love Christ upon the same Reasons as a Turk loves Mahomet it were no true love if he love him upon false grounds it must needs be a false love and if upon common grounds it can be but a common love And is it not then as clear that to believe in Jesus Christ upon the grounds that a Turk believes in Mahomet or to believe Scripture upon the same reasons that the Turk believes the Alcoran is no true Faith Supposing that both have the like verity of their Reasons 6. Is the generality of Christians able to give any better then some such common reason to prove the verity of Scripture Nay are the more exercised Understanding sort of Christians able by sound Arguments to make it good if an Enemy or a Temptation put them to it Nay are the ordinary sort of Ministers in England able to do this Let them that have tried judg 7. Can the Superstructure be firm where the Foundation is Sandy And can our Affections and Actions be sound and strong when our belief of Scripture is unsound or infirm Sure this Faith will have influence into all For my own part I take it to be the greatest cause of coldness in Duty weakness in Graces boldness in Sinning and unwillingness to die c. that our Faith is either unsound or infirm in this point Few Christians among us for ought I finde have any better then the Popish implicit faith in this point nor any better Arguments then the Papists have to prove Scripture the Word of God They have received it by Tradition godly Ministers and Christians tell them so it is impious to doubt of it and therefore they believe it And this worm lying at the root causeth the languishing and decay of the whole yet is it usually undiscerned for the root lieth secret under ground But I am apt to judg that though the most complain of their uncertainty of salvation through want of assurance of their own Interest and of the weakness of the applying Act of Faith yet the greater cause of all
their sorrows and that which shakes the whole building is the weakness of their faith about the truth of Scripture though perhaps the other be more perceived and this taken notice of by few There may be great weakness and unsoundness of belief where yet no doubtings are perceived to stir Therefore though we could perswade people to believe never so confidently that Scripture is the very Word of God and yet teach them no more reason why they should believe this then any other book to be that Word as it will prove in them no right way of believing so is it in us no right way of teaching 8. There is many a one who feels his faith shake here who never discovers it To doubt of our Evidences is taken for no great disgrace and therefore men more freely profess such doubts nay and some perhaps who are not much troubled with them because they would be thought to be humble Christians But to question the truth of Scripture is a reproachful Blalphemy and therefore all that are guilty here speak not their doubts 9. Is not the greatest battery by all sort of enemies especially made against this Foundation The first place that the Papist assaults you in is here How know you the Scripture to be the Word of God The Seekers who are the Jesuits By blows though they yet know not their own father will accoast you with the like question How know you that your Scripture and your Ministery is of God The Familists and Libertines do spit their venom here And some Christians by experience are able to testifie that Satans temptations are most violent here Yea and our own carnal deluded Reason is aptest of all to stumble here They talk of a Toleration of all Religions and some desire that the Jews may have free commerce amongst us it will then be time for us I think to be well armed at this point Let the ordinary Professors of our Time who are of weak judgments and fiery spirits look to it how they will stand in such assaults least as now when they cannot answer a Separatist they yield to him and when they cannot answer an Antinomian they turn Antinomians so then when they can much less answer the subtil Arguments of a Jew against Christ and the Gospel they should as easily turn Jews and deny Christ and the verity of the Gospel The Libertines among us think it necessary that we should have such a Toleration to discover the unsound who hold their faith upon Tradition and Custome I am no more of their mindes in this then of his who would have a fair Virgin to lye with him and try his Chastity and make its victory more honorable But if we must needs have such a triall its time to look to the grounds of our belief that we may be ready to give a reason of our Hope 10. However though I were mistaken in all this yet certain I am that the strengthening of our faith in the verity of Scripture would be an exceeding help to the joy of the Saints and would advance their confident hopes of Rest. For my self if my faith in this point had no imperfection if I did as verily believe the Glory to come as I do believe that the Sun will rise again when it is set O how would it raise my desires and my joyes what haste should I make how serious should I be how should I trample on these earthly vanities and even forget the things below How restless should I be till I were assured of this Rest and then how restless till I did possess it How should I delight in the thought of death and my heart leap at the tidings of its approach How glad should I be of the bodies decaies to feel my prison moulder to dust Surely this would be the fruit of a perfect belief of the truth of the Promise of our eternal Rest. Which though it cannot be here expected yet should we use the most strengthening means and press on till we had attained SECT II. THus much I have purposely spoken as to stir up Christians to look to their faith so especialiy to provoke some choise servant of Christ among the multitudes of Books that are written to bestow their labors on this most needful Subject and all Ministers to preach it more frequently and clearly to their people Some think it is Faiths honor to be as credulous as may be and the weaker are the rational grounds the stronger is the faith and therefore we must believe and not dispute Indeed when it s once known to be a Divine Testimony then the most credulous soul is the best But when the doubt is whether it be the Testimony of God or no a man may easily be over-credulous Else why are we bid believe not every spirit but try them whether they be of God or not And how should the false Christs and false Prophets be known who would deceive were it possible the very Elect to be given up of God to believe a lye is one of the sorest of Gods Judgments Some think the onely way to deal with such temptations to Blasphemy is to cast them away and not to dispute them And I think the direction is very good so it be used with some distinction and caution The Rule holds good against reall Blasphemy known to be such but if the person know it not how shall he make use of this Rule against it Further it is supposed that he who knows it to be Blasphemy hath Arguments whereby to prove it such else how doth he know it Therefore here lyes the sin when a man is by sufficient evidence convinced or at least hath Evidence sufficient for conviction that it is a Divine Testimony and yet is still cherishing doubts or hearkning to temptations which may feed those doubts when a man like Balaam will take no answer But he who will therefore cast away all doubts before he hath Arguments sufficient against them or could ever prove the thing in Question he doth indeed cast aside the temptation but not overcome it and may expect it should shortly return again It is a methodicall cure which prevents a relapse Such a neglecter of temptations may be in the right and may as well be in the wrong but however it is not right to him because not rightly believed Faith alwayes implies a Testimony and the knowledg usually of the matter and Author of that Testimony Divine Faith hath ever a Divine Testimony and supposeth the knowledg of the matter when the Faith is particular but always of the Author of that Testimony An implicite Faith in God that is a believing that all is true which he testifieth though we see no reason for it from the evidence of the matter this is necessary to every true Believer But to believe implicitly that the Testimony is Divine or that Scripture is the Word of God this is not to believe God
Officers and Orders of Churches are to us as Laws still binding with those limitations as Positives onely which give way to greater 43. The ground of this Position is because it is inconsistent with the Wisdom and Faithfulness of God to send men to a work and promise to be with them and yet to forsake them and suffer them to err in the building of that House which must indure till the end of the world 44. Yet if any of these Commissioners do err in their own particular conversations or in matters without the extent of their Commission this may consist with the faithfulness of God God hath not promised them infallibility and perfection the disgrace is their own but if they should miscarry in that wherein they are sent to be a rule to others the Church would then have an imperfect Rule and the dishonor would redound to God 45. Yet I finde not that ever God authorized any meere man to be a Lawgiver to the Church in Substantials but onely to deliver the Laws which he had given to Interpret them and to determine Circumstantials not by him determined 46. Where God owneth mens Doctrines and Examples by Miracles they are to be taken as infallibly Divine much more when Commission Promise and Miracles do concur which confirmeth the Apostles Examples for currant 47. So that if any of the â—ings or Prophets had given Laws and formed the Church as Moses they had not been binding because without the said Commission or if any other Minister of the Gospel shall by Word or Action arrogate an Apostolical priviledg 48. There is no verity about God or the chief happiness of man written in Nature but it is to be found written in Scriptures 49. So that the same thing may in these several respects be the object both of Knowledg and of Faith 50. The Scripture being so perfect a Transcript of the law of Nature or Reason is much more to be credited in its supernatural Revelations 51. The probability of most things and the possibility of all things contained in the Scriptures may well be discerned by Reason it self which makes their Existence or Futurity the more easie to be believed 52. Yet before this Existence or Futurity of any thing beyond the reach of Reason can be soundly believed the Testimony must be known to be truly Divine 53. Yet a belief of Scripture Doctrine as probable doth usually go before a belief of certainty and is a good preparative thereto 54. The direct express sense must be believed directly and absolutely as infallible and the consequences where they may be clearly and certainly raised but where there is danger of erring in raising consequences the assent can be but weak and conditional 55. A Consequence raised from Scripture being no part of the immediate sense cannot be called any part of Scripture 56. Where one of the premises is in Nature and the other onely in Scripture there the Conclusion is mixt partly known and partly believed That it is the Consequence of those premises is known but that it is a Truth is as I said apprehended by a mixt Act. Such is a Christians concluding himself to be justified and sanctified c. 57. Where through weakness we are unable to discern the Consequences there is enough in the express direct sense for salvation 58. Where the sense is not unstood there the belief can be but implicit 59. Where the sense is partly understood but with some doubting the Belief can be but conditionally explicit that is we believe it if it be the sense of the Word 60. Fundamentals must be believed Explicitly and Absolutely CHAP. IIII. The first Argument to prove Scripture to be the Word of God SECT IIII. HAving thus shewed you in what sense the Scriptures are the word of God and how far to be believed and what is the excellency necessity and authority of them I shall now adde three or four Arguments to help your Faith which I hope will not onely prove them to be Divine Testimony to the substance of Doctrine though that be a usefull work against our unbelief but also that they are the very written Laws of God and a perfect Rule of Faith and duty My Arguments shall be but few because I handle it but on the by and those such as I finde little of in others writings least I should wast time in doing what is done to my hands 1. Those writings and that Doctrine which were confirmed by many real Miracles must needs be of God and consequently of undoubted Truth But the books and Doctrine of Canonicall Scripture were so confirmed Therefore c. Against the major proposition nothing of any moment can be said For it s a Truth apparent enough to nature that none but God can work real Miracles or at least none but those whom he doth especially enable thereto And it is as manifest that the Righteous and Faithfull God will not give this power for a seal to any falshood or deceit The usuall Objections are these First Antichrist shall come with lying wonders Answ. They are no true Miracles As they are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Thess. 2.9 lying in sealing to a lying doctrine so also in being but seeming and counterfeit Miracles The like may be said to those of Pharaohs Magicians and all other Sorcerers and Witches and those that may be wrought by Satan himself They may be wonders but not Miracles Object 2. God may enable false Prophets to work Miracles to try the world without any derogation to his Faithfulness Answ. No for Divine power being properly the attendant of Divine Revelation if it should be annexed to Diabolicall delusions it would be a sufficient excuse to the world for their believing those delusions And if Miracles should not be a sufficient seal to prove the Authority of the witness to be Divine then is there nothing in the world sufficient and so our Faith will be quite overthrown Object But however Miracles will no more prove Christ to be the Son of God then they will prove Moses Elias or Elisha to be the Son of God for they wrought Miracles as well as Christ. Answ. Miracles are Gods seal not to extoll the person that is instrumentall nor for his glory but to extoll God and for his own Glory God doth not entrust any creature with this seal so absolutely as that they may use it when and in what case they please If Moses or Elias had affirmed themselves to be the sons of God they could never have confirmed that affirmation with a Miracle for God would not have sealed to a lye Christs power of working Miracles did not immediatly prove him to be the Christ. But it immediately proved his Testimony to be Divine and that Testimony spoke his nature and office So that the power of Miracles in the Prophets and Apostles was not to aâ—â—est to their own greatness but to the truth of their Testimony conâ—â—rning Christ.
that there was a fight at York c. to be of God though wicked men were the chief witnesses For I take it for an undeniable Maxime That there is no Truth but of God onely it is derived unto us by various means SECT V. 2. ANd as I have evideently discovered the full certainty of this Testimony of man concerning the forementioned matter of Fact So I will shew you why I chuse this for my first and main Argument and also that no man can believe without the foresaid Humane Testimony First then I demanded with my self By what Argument did Moses and Christ evince to the world the verity of their Doctrine And I finde it was chiefly by this of Miracles and sure Christ knew the best Argument to prove the divine Authority of his Doctrine and that which was the best then is the best still If our selves had lived in the dayes of Christ should we have believed a poor man to have been God the Saviour the Judg of the world without Miracles to prove this to us Nay would it have been our duty to have believed Doth not Christ say If I had not done the Works that no man else could do ye had not had sin That is Your not believing me to be the Messias had been no sin For no man is bound to believe that which was never convincingly revealed And to tell you my thoughts If you will but pardon the novelty of the Interpretation I think that this is it which is called the sin against the Holy Ghost when men will not be convinced by Miracles that Jesus is the Christ. That which some Divines judg to be the sin against the Holy Ghost an opposing the known Truth onely out of malice against it It s a Question whether Humane Nature be capable of it And whether all Humane opposition to Truth be not through ignorance or prevalency of the sensual lusts And so all malice against Truth is onely against it as conceived to be Falshood or else as it appeareth an enemy to our sensual desires Else how doth mans Understanding as it is an Understanding naturally chuse Truth either real or appearing for its object So that I think none can be guilty of malice against Truth as Truth And to be at emnity with Truth for opposing our sensuality is a sin that every man in the world hath been in some measure guilty of And indeed our Divines do so define the sin against the Holy Ghost that I could never yet understand by their definition what it might be some placing it in an Act incompatible with the Rational soul and others making it but gradually to differ from other sins which hath cast so many into terror of soul because they could never finde out that graduall difference The sense of the place which the whole context if you view it deliberately will shew you seems to me to be this As if Christ had said While you believed not the Testimony of the Prophets yet there was hope The Testimony of John Baptist might have convinced you yea when you believed not John yet you might have been convinced by my own Doctrine Yea though you did not believe my Doctrine yet there was hope you might have been convinced by my Miracles But when you accuse them to be the works of Beelzebub and ascribe the work of the Divine Power or Spirit to the Prince of Devils what more hope I will after my Ascention send the Holy Ghost upon my Disciples that they may work Miracles to convince the world that they who will believe no other Testimony may yet through this believe But if you sin against this Holy Ghost that is if they will not believe for all these Miracles for the Scripture frequently calls Faith by the name of Obedience and Unbelief by the name of sin there is no other more convincing Testimony left and so their sin of unbelief is incurable and consequently unpardonable And therefore he that speaketh against the son of Man that is denieth his Testimony of himself it shall be forgiven him if he yet believe by this Testimony of the Spirit but they that continue unbelievers for all this and so reproach the Testimony that should convince them as you do shall never be forgiven because they cannot perform the condition of forgiveness This I think to be the sense of the Text And the rather when I consider what sin it was that these Pharisees committed for sure that which is commonly judged to be the sin against the Holy Ghost I no where finde that Christ doth accuse them of but the Scripture seemeth to speak on the contrary that through ignorance they did it for had they known they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory And indeed it is a thing to me altogether incredible that these Pharisees should know Christ to be the Messiah whom they so desirously expected and to be the Son of God and judg of all men and yet to crucifie him through meer malice charge them not with this till you can shew some Scripture that chargeth them with it Obiect Why then there is no sin against the Holy Ghost now Miracles are ceased Answ. Yes though the Miracles are ceased yet their Testimony doth still live The death and Resurrection of Christ are past and yet men may sin against that death and Resurrection So that I think when men will not believe that Jesus is the Christ though they are convinced by undeniable Arguments of the Miracles which both himself and his disciples wrought this is now the sin against the Holy Ghost And therefore take heed of slighting this argument SECT VI. SEcondly And here I would have those men who cannot endure this resting upon humane Testimony to consider of what necessity it is for the producing of our Faith Something must be taken upon trust from man whether they will or no and yet no uncertainty in our Faith neither First The meer illiterate man must take it upon trust that the book is a Bible which he heares read for els he knows not but it may be some other book Secondly That those words are in it which the Reader pronounceth Thirdly That it is translated truly out of the originall languages Fourthly That the Hebrew and Greek Copies out of which it was translated are true Authentick Copies Fifthly That it was originally written in these languages Sixthly Yea and the meaning of divers Scripture passages which cannot be understood without the knowledg of Jewish customes of Chronologie of Geography c. though the words were never so exactly translated All these with many more the vulgar must take upon the word of their Teachers And indeed a faith meerly humane is a necessary preparative to a faith Divine in respect of some means and Praecognita necessary thereto If a Scholar will not take his masters word that such letters have such or such a power or do spell so or so or
that such a Latine or Greek word hath such a signification when will he learn or how will he know Nay how do the most learned linguists know the signification of words in any language and so in the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures but only upon the credit of their Teachers and Authors And yet certaine enough too in the maine Tradition is not so useles to the world or the Church as some would have it Though the Papists do sinfully plead it against the sufficiency of Scripture yet Scriptures sufficiency or perfection is only in suo genere in its owne kind and not in omni genere not sufficient for every purpose Scripture is a sufficient rule of Faith and life but not a sufficient means of conveying it self to all generations and persons If humane Testimony had not been necessary why should Christ have men to be witnesses in the beginning And also still instruments of perswading others and attesting the verity of these sacred records to those that cannot otherwise come to know them And doubtles this is a chief use of Ministers in the Church and the great end of God in the stating and continuing that function that what men are uncapable of believing explicitly with a faith properly Divine that they might receive implicitly and upon the word of their Teachers with a humane faith Every man should labor indeed to see with his own eyes and to know all that God hath revealed and to be wiser eâ—en his Teachers but every man cannot bestow that time and pains in the study of Languages and Sciences without which that knowledg is not now attained We may rather wish then hope that all the Lords people were Prophets The Church of Christ hath been long in a very doleful plight betwixt these two extreams taking all things upon trust from our teachers and taking nothing upon trust And yet those very men who so disclaime taking upon trust do themselves take as much upon trust as others Why els are Ministers called the eyes and the hands of the body Stewards of the mysteries and of the house of God Overseers Rulers and Governers of the Church And such as must give the children their meat in due season Fathers of their people c. Surely the clearly known Truth and Duty must be received from any one though but a childe and known errror and iniquity must be received from none though an Angel from Heaven What then is that we are so often required to obey our Teaching Rulers in Surely it is not so much in the receiving of new instituted Ceremonies from them which they call things indifferent But as in all professions the Scholar must take his masters Word in learning till he can grow up to know the things in their own evidence and as men will take the words of any aâ—tificers in the matters that concern their own trade and as every wise patient will trust the judgement of his Physitian except he know as much himself and the Client will take the word of his Lawyer so also Christ hath ordered that the more strong and knowing should be teachers in his school and the young and ignorant should believe them and obey them till they can reach to understand the things themselves So that the matters which we must receive upon trust from our teachers are those which we cannot reach to know our selves and therefore must either take them upon the word of others or not receive them at all so that if these Rulers and Stewards do require us to believe when we know not our selves whether it be truth or not or if they require us to obey when we know not our selves whether it be a duty commanded by God or not here it is that we ought to obey them For though we know not whether God hath revealed such a point or commanded such an action yet that he hath commanded us to obey them that Rule over us who preach to us the word of God this we certainly know Heb. 13.7 Yet I think not we are so strictly tyed to the judgement of a weak Minister of our own as to take his word before anothers that is more Judicious in a neighbour congregation Nor do I think if we see but an appearance of his erring that we should carelessely go on in believing and obeying him without a diligent searching after the Truth even a liklyhood of his mistake must quicken us to further enquiry and may during that enquiry suspend our belief and obedience For where we are able to reach to know probabilities in divine things we may with diligence lightly reach to that degree of certainty which our Teachers themselves have attained or at least to understand the Reason of their Doctrine But still remember what I said before that fundamentals must be believed with a Faith explicit Absolute and Divine And thus I have shewed you the flat necessity of taking much upon the Testimony of man And that some of these humane Testimonies are so certaine that they may well be called Divine I conclude all with this intimation You may see by this of what singular use are the monuments of Antiquity and the knowledg thereof for the breeding and strengthening of the Christian faith especially the Histories of those times I would not perswade you to bestow much time in the reading of the Fathers in reference to their judgement in matter of Doctrine Gods word is a sufficient Rule and latter times have afforded far better Expositors But in reference to matters of fact for confirming the Miracles mentioned in Scripture and relating the wonderfull providence since I would they were read an hundred times more Not onely the writers of the Church but even the Histories of the enemies and all other antiquities Little do most consider how usefull these are to the Christian faith CHAP. V. The second Argument SECT I. I Come now to my second Argument to prove Scripture to be the word of God And it is this If the Scriptures be neither the invention of Devils nor of men then it can be from none but God But that it is neither of Divels nor meerly of men I shall now prove for I suppose none will question the major proposition First Not from Divels for first they cannot work Miracles to confirm them Secondly It would not stand with Gods Soveraignity over them or with his goodness Wisdome and Faithfulness in governing the world to suffer Satan to make Laws and confirm them with wonders and obtrude them upon the world in the name of God and all this without his disclaiming them or giving the world any notice of the forgery Thirdly Would Satan speak so much for God So seek his Glory as the Scripture doth would he so vilifie and reproach himself and make known himself to be the hatefullest and most miserable of all creatures would he so fully discover his own wiles his Temptations his methods of deceiving and
give men such powerfull warning to beware of his snares and such excellent means to conquer himself would the Devil lay such a design for mens salvation would he shew them their danger and direct them to escape it would he so mightily labor to promote all Truth and goodness and the happiness of mankinde as the Scripture doth Let any man tell me what book or project in the world did ever so mightily overthrow the Kingdome of Satan as this book and this Gospell-designe And would Satan be such an enemy to his own Kingdome Fourthly If Satan were the author he would never be so unweariedly and subtilly industrious to draw the world to unbelief and to break the Laws which this book conteineth as his constant temptations do sensibly tell many a poor soul that he is Would he be so earnest to have his own words rejected or his own Laws broken I think this is all clear to any man of Reason SECT II. SEcondly That no meer men were the inventers of Scriptures I prove thus If men were the devisers of it then it was either good men or bad but it was neither good men nor bad therefore none Though goodness and badness have many degrees yet under some of those degrees do all men fall Now I will shew you that it could be neither of these And first Good men they could not be For you might better say that Murderers Traytors Adulterers Parricides Sodomites c. were good men rather then such To devise Laws and father them upon God to feign Miracles and father them upon God to set themselves up in the place of God to say their word is the word of the Lord to promise eternal salvation to those that obey them to threat damnation to those that obey them not to draw the world into a course so destructive to all their worldly happiness upon a promise of happiness in another world which they cannot give to endeavor so egregiously to couzen all mankind If all this or any of this be consistent with common honesty nay if it be not as horrible wickedness as can be committed then I confesse I have lost my reason Much lesse then could such a number of Good men in all ages till 〈…〉 were finished be guilty of such unexpressible crimes 〈…〉 will it here be any evasion to say they were men of a 〈…〉 temper partly good and partly bad for these are not 〈…〉 of a middle nature nor such as will stand with any remâ—â—nts of ingenuity or humanity We have known wicked persons too many and too bad yet where or when did we ever know any that attempted any so more-then-Hellish an enterprize False Prophets have sent abroad indeed particular falshoods But who hath adventured upon such a systeme as this Mahomets example indeed comes neerest to such a villany Yet doth not be pretend to the hundreth part so many Miracles nor so great as the Scripture relateth nor doth pretend to be God nor any more then a great Prophet trusting more to his sword for successe then to the Authority or truth of his pretended Revelations Not denying the truth of much of the Scriptures but adding his Alcoran partly drawn from Scripture and partly fitted with fleshly liberties and promises to his own ends And doth not every man among us take that act of Mahomet to be one of the vilest that the Sun hath seen And judg of the man himself accordingly So that I think it beyond doubt that no one good man much lesse so great a number as were the penmen of Scripture could devise it of their own brain and thrust it on the world Secondly And it is as certaine that no bad men did devise the Scriptures Could wicked deceivers so highly advance the glory of God and labour so mightily to honour him in the world Would they have so vilified themselves and acknowledged their faults Could such an admirable undeniable spirit of holiness righteousness and self-deniall which runs through every veine of Scripture have been inspired into it from the invention of the wicked Would wicked men have been so wise or so zealous for the suppressing of wickedness Or so earnest to bring the world to Reformation Would they have been such bitter adversaries to their own wayes and such faithfull friends to the ways that they hate Would they have vilified the ungodly as the Scripture doth And pronounced eternall damnation against them Would they have extolled the godly who are so contrary to them And proclaimed them a people eternally blessed Would they have framed such perfect and such Spirituall laws And would they have laid such a design against the flesh And against all their worldly happiness as the scope of the Scripture doth carry on It s needless sure to mention any more particulars I think every man of the least ingenuity that considers this or deliberately vieweth over the frame of the Scriptures will easily confesse that it is more then probable That it was never devised by any deceiving sinner much less that all the penmen of it in severall Ages were such wicked deceivers So then if it was neither devised by good men nor by bad men then sure by no men and consequently must of necessity proceed from God SECT III. SEcondly That it proceeded not meerly from man I also prove thus That which was done without the help of humane learning or any extraordinary endowments of nature and yet the greatest Philosophers could never reach neer it must needs be the effect of a Power supernaturall But such is both the doctrine and the Miracles in Scripture therefore c. It is only the Antecedent that here requires proof which consists of these two branches both which I shall make clear First That the doctrine of Scripture was compiled and the Miracles done without the help of much humane learning or any extraordinary naturall endowments Secondly That yet the most learned Philosophers never could reach neer the Gospel Mysteries nor ever work the Miracles that were then done But I shall say most to the Doctrine For the proof of the former consider First The whole world was in the times of Moses and the Prophets comparatively unlearned A kinde of learning the Egyptians then had and some few others especially consisting in some small skill in Astronomy But it was all but barbarous ignorance in comparison of the Learning of Greece and Europe Those Writings of greatest Antiquity yet extant do shew this See also Dr. Hackwell as before 2. As rare as Learning then was yet did God chuse the unlearned of that unlearned time to be instruments and Penmen of his choisest Scriptures David who was bred a Shephard is the Penman of those divine unmatchable Psalms Amos is taken from a Heardsman to be a Prophet 3. But especially in those latter Ages when the world was grown more wise and learned did God purposely chuse the weak the foolish the unlearned to confound them A company
of poor Fishermen Tentmakers and such like must write the Laws of the Kingdom of Christ must dive into the Spiritual Mysteries of the Kingdom must silence the Wise and Disputers of the world and must be the men that must bring in the world to believe Doubless as Gods sending David an unarmed Boy with a Sling and a Stone against an armed Gyant was to make it appear that the victory was from himself So his sending these unlearned men to Preach the Gospel and subdue the world was to convince both the present and future generations that it was God and not man that did the work 4. Also the course they took in silencing the learned adversaries doth shew us how little use they made of these Humane helps They disputed not with them by the precepts of Logick Their Arguments were to the Jews the Writings of Moses and the Prophets and both to Jews and Gentiles the miracles that were wrought They argued more with deeds then with words The blinde the lame the sick that were recovered were their visible Arguments The Languages which they spake the Prophesies which they uttered and other such supernatural gifts of the holy Ghost upon them these were the things that did convince the world Yet this is no president to us to make as little use of Learning as they because we are not upon the same work nor yet supplied with their supernatural furniture 5. The reproaches of their enemies do fully testifie this who cast it still in their teeth that they were ignorant and unlearned men And indeed this was the great rub that their Doctrine found in the world it was to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness and therefore it appeared to be the power of God and not of man This was it that they discouraged the people with Do any of the Rulers or Pharisees believe on him but this people that know not the Law are accursed 6. To conclude The very frame and stile of these sacred Writings doth fully tell us that they were none of the Logicians nor eloquent Orators of the world that did compose them This is yet to this day one of the greatest stumbling blocks in the world to hinder men from the reverencing and believing the Scriptures They are still thinking sure if they were the very words of God they would excell all other Writings in every kinde of excellency when indeed it discovereth them the more certainly to be of God because there is in them so little of man They may as well say If David had been sent against Goliah from God he would sure have been the most compleat souldier and most compleatly armed The words are but the dish to serve up the sense in God is content that the words should not onely have in them a savor of Humanity but of much infirmity so that the work of convincing the world may be furthered thereby And I verily think that this is Gods great design in permitting these pretious spirits of divine Truths to run in the veines of infirm Language that so men may be convinced in all succeeding ages that Scripture is no device of Humane Policy If the Apostles had been learned and subtil men we should sooner have suspected their finger in the contrivance Yea It is observable that in such as Paul that had some Humane Learning yet God would not have them make much use of it least the excellency of the Cross of Christ should seem to lye in the inticing words of mans wisdom and least the success of the Gospel should seem to be more from the ability of the Preacher then from the Arm of God Besides all this It may much perswade us that the Apostles never contrived the Doctrine which they Preached by their sudden and not premeditated setting upon the work They knew not whether they should go nor what they should do when he calls one from his Fishing and another from his Custome They knew not what course Christ would take with himself or them no not a little before he leaves them Nay they must not know their imployment till he is taken from them And even then is it revealed to them by parcels and degrees and that without any study or invention of their own even after the coming down of the Holy Ghost Peter did not well under stand that the Gentiles must be called All which ignorance of his Apostles and suddenness of Revelation I think was purposely contrived by Christ to convince the world that they were not the contrivers of the Doctrine which they Preached SECT IV. 2. LEt us next then consider how far short the learned Philosophers have come of this They that have spent all their days in most painful studies having the strongest natural endowments for to enable them and the learned Teachers the excellent Libraries the bountiful incouragement and countenance of Princes to further them and yet after all this are very Novices in all spiritual things They cannot tell what the happiness of the Soul is nor where that happiness shall be enjoyed nor when nor how long nor what are the certain means to attain it nor who they be that shall possess it They know nothing how the world was made nor how it shall end nor know they the God who did create and doth sustain it but for the most of them they multiply feighned Deities But I shall have occasion to open this more fully anon under the last Argument CHAP. VI. The third Argument SECT I. MY third Argument whereby I prove the Divine Authority of the Scriptures is this Those Writings which have been owned and fulfilled in several Ages by apparent extraordinary Providences of God must needs be of God But God hath so owned and fulfilled the Scriptures Ergo They are of God The Major Proposition will not sure be denied The direct consequence is That such Writings are approved by God and if approved of him then must they needs be his own because they affirm themselves to be his own It is beyond all doubt that God will not interpose his Power and work a succession of Wonders in the world for the maintaining or countenancing of any forgery especially such as should be a slander against himself All the work therefore will lye in confirming the Minor Where I shall shew you first By what wonders of Providence God hath owned and fulfilled the Scriptures And secondly How it may appear that this was the end of such Providences 1. The first sort of Providences here to be considered are those that have been exercised for the Church universal Where these three things present themselves especially to be observed first The Propagating of the Gospel and raising of the Church secondly The Defence and continuance of that Church thirdly The improbable ways of accomplishing these And first Consider what an unlikely design in the judgment of man did Christ send his Apostles upon To bid a few ignorant Mechanicks Go
his own people Bruising breaking killing them with terrors and then healing rasing and filling them with Joys which they cannot utter How variously doth he mould them sometimes they are brought to the gates of Hell sometime they are ravished with the foretasts of Heaven The proudest spirits are made to stoop the lowest are raised to an invincible courage In a word The workings of God upon the souls of his people are so clear and strange that you may trace a supernaturall causality through them all SECT VI. SEcondly But though it be undeniable that all these are the extraordinary workings of God yet how do they confirm the authority of Scripture How doth it appeare that they have any such end Answ. That is it I come to shew you next First Some of these works do carry their end apparently with them and manifest it in their event The forementioned providences for raising and preserving the Church are such as shew us their own ends Secondly They are most usually wrought for the friends and followers of Scripture and against the enemies and disobeyers of it Thirdly They are the plain fulfilling of the Predictions of Scripture The Judgements on the offenders are the plain fulfilling of its threatnings And the mercies to believers are the plain fulfilling of its Promises As for example as unlikely as it was yet Christ foretold his Apostles that when he was lifted up he would draw all men to him He sent them upon an errand as unlikely to be so succesfull as any in the world and yet he told them just what success they should find how good to their message and how hard to their persons The promise was of old to give Christ the heathen for his inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for his possession Christ promiseth to be with his messengers to the end of the world Why now how punctually doth he accomplish all this What particular Prophesies of Scripture have been fulfilled and when and how hath been already at large discovered by others and therefore I shall overpasse that Fourthly These Judgments have been usually executed on offenders at the very time when they have been either opposing or violating Scripture And these mercies bestowed chiefly upon believers at such a time when they have been most engaged in defence of or obedience to the Scriptures Fifthly They usually proceed in such effectuall sort that they force the enemies and ungodly to confesse the cause yea and oft times the very standers by so do they force believers also to see that God makes good his word in all their mercies Sixthly They are performed in answer to the prayers of believers while they urge God with the promises of Scripture then doth he appeare in these evident providences This is a common and powerfull Argument which most Christians may draw from their own experiences Had we no other Argument to prove Scripture to be the word of God but only the strange successe of the prayers of the Saints while they trust upon and plead the promises with fervency I think it might much confirm experienced men What wonders yea what apparent miracles did the prayers of former Christians procure Hence the Christians soldiers in their Army were called the Thundering Legion they could do more by their prayers then the rest by their Armes Hence as Zuingerus testifies Gregory was called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from his frequent miracles among the heathen And Vincentiâ—â— reporteth that Sulpitius Bituricensis did expell Divels heal the sick and raise the dead by praying to God for them When Myconius a godly Divine lay sick of that Consumption which is called a Phâ—hisis Luther prayeth earnestly that he might be recovered and that he might not dye before himself And so confident was he of the grant of his desire that he writes boldly to Myconius that he should not dye now but should remaine yet longer upon this earth Vpon these prayers did Myconius presently revive as from the dead and live six yeers after till Luther was dead And himself hath largely written the story and professed that when he read Luthers letters he seemed to hear that voice of Christ Lazarus come forth Yea so powerfull and prevailing was Luther in prayer that Justus Jonas writes of him Iste vir potuit quod voluit That man could do what his list What was it less then a Miracle in Baynam the Martyr who told the Papistes Lo here is a Miracle I feel no more paine in this fire then in a bed of Down It is as sweet to me as a bed of Roses So Bishop Farrar who could say before he went to the fire If I stir in the fire believe not my Doctrine And accordingly remained unmoved Theodorus the Martyr in the midst of his torment had one in the shape of a young man as he thought came and wiped off his sweat and eased him of his paine But what need I fetch examples so far off or to recite the multitudes of them which Church history doth afford us Is there ever a praying Christian here who knoweth what it is importunately to strive with God and to plead his promises with him believingly that cannot give in his experiences of most remarkable answers I know mens atheisme and infidelity will never want somewhat to say against the most eminent providences though they were Miracles themselves The nature which is so ignorant of God and at enmity with him will not acknowledg him in his clear discoveries to the World but will ascribe all to fortune or nature or some such Idoll which indeed is nothing But when mercies are granted in the very time of prayer and that when to reason there is no hope and that without the use or help of any other means or creatures yea and prehaps many times over and over Is not this as plaine as if God from heaven should say to us I am fulfilling to thee the true word of my promise in Christ my Son How many times have I known the prayer of faith to save the sick when all Physitians have given them up as dead It hath been my own case more then once or twice or ten times when means have all failed and the highest Art or Reason have sentenced me hopeless yet have I been relieved by the prevalency of fervent prayer and that as the Physitian said tutò citò et jucundè My flesh and my heart failed but God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever And though he yet keep me under necessary weakness and wholesome sickness and certain expectation of further necessities and assaults yet am I constrained by most convincing experiences to set up this stone of Remembrance and publikely to the Praise of the Almighty to acknowledg that certainly God is true of his promises and that they are indeed his own infallible Word and that it is a most excellent priviledge to have interest in God and a Spirit
this is a lower excellency then Scripture was intended to And thus I have done with this weighty Subject That the Scripture which contains the Promises of our Rest is the certain infallible VVord of God The reason why I have thus digressed and said so much of it is because I was very apprehensive of the great necessity of it and the common neglect of being grounded in it and withall that this is the very heart of my whole Discourse and that if this be doubted of all the rest that I have said will be in vain If men doubt of the Truth they will not regard the goodness And the reason why I have said no more but passed over the most common Arguments is because they are handled in many books already which I advise Christians to be better versed in To the meer English Reader I commend especially these Sir Phil. Mornay Lord du Plessis his Verity of Christian Religion Parsons Book of Resolution Corrected by Bunny the Second Part. Dr. Jackson on the Creed and come forth since I begun this Mr. White of Dorchester Directions for Reading Scripture Mr. John Goodwins Divine Authority of Scripture asserted though some of his Positions I judg unsound yet the Work for the main is commendable Also Read a Book Called A Treatise of Divinity first Part. Written by our honest and faithful Countryman Colonel Edward Leigh a now Member of the House of Commons Also Vrsins Catachism on this Question and Balls Catachism with the Exposition which to those that cannot read larger Treatises is very usefull For the Question How it may be known which books be Canonical I here meddle not with it I think Humane Testimony with the forementioned qualifications must do most in determining that As I begun so I conclude this with an earnest request to Ministers that they would Preach and People that they would study this subject more throughly that their Faith and Obedience may live and flourish while they can prove the Scripture to be the Word of God which contains the Promise of their Everlasting Rest. CHAP. VIII Rest for none but the people of God proved SECT I. IT may here be expected that as I have proved That this Rest remaineth for the people of God so I should now prove that it remaineth onely for them and that the rest of the world shall have no part in it But the Scripture is so full and plain in this that I suppose it needless to those who believe Scripture Christ hath resolved that those who make light of him and the offers of his Grace shall never taste of his Supper And that without holiness none shall see God And that except a man be regenerate and born again he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God That he that believes not shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth on him That no unclean person nor covetous nor railer nor drunkard c. shall enter into the Kingdom of Christ and of God Ephes. 5.4 5. That the wicked shall be turned into hell and all they that forget God That all they shall be damned that obey not the Truth but have pleasure in unrighteousness 2 Thes. 2.12 That Christ will come in flaming fire to take vengeance on them that know not God and obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power And Christ himself hath opened the very maner of their process in judgment and the sentence of their condemnation to eternal fire prepared for the devil and his Angels Matth. 25. So that here is no Rest for any but the people of God except you will call the intollerable everlasting flames of Hell a Rest. And it were easie to manifest this also by Reason For first Gods Justice requires an inequality of mens state hereafter as there was of their lives here And secondly They that walk not in the way of Rest and use not the means are never like to obtain the End They would not follow Christ in the Regeneration nor accept of Rest upon his conditions they thought him to be too hard a Master and his way too narrow and his Laws too strict They chose the pleasures of sin for a season rather then to suffer affliction with the people of God They would not suffer with Christ that so they might raign with him What they made choise of that they did injoy They had their good things in this life and what they did refuse it is but reason they should want How oft would Christ have gathered them to him and they would not And he useth to make men willing before he save them and not to save them against their wils Therefore will the mouths of the wicked be stopped for ever and all the world shall acknowledg the Justice of God Had the ungodly but returned before their life was expired and been heartily willing to accept of Christ for their Saviour and their King and to be saved by him in his way and upon his most reasonable tearms they might have been saved Object But may not God be better then his Word and save those that he doth not promise to save Answ. But not false of his word in saving those whom he hath said he will not save Mens souls are in a doleful case when they have no hope of Happiness except the Word of God prove false To venture a mans eternal salvation upon Hope that God will be better then his word that is in plain English that the God of Truth will prove a lyer is somewhat beyond stark madness which hath no name bad enough to express it Yet I do believe that the description of Gods people in England and in America must not be the same because as Gods Revelations are not the same so neither is the actual Faith which is required in both the same and as the Written and Positive Laws in the Church were never given them so obedience to those meer Positives is not required of them Whether then the threats against unbelievers be meant of Unbelief privative and positive only and not negative such as is all non-believing that which was never revealed Or whether their believing that God is and that he is a Rewarder of them that seek him will serve the turn there Or whether God hath no people there I acknowledg again is yet past my understanding CHAP. IX Whether the Souls departed enjoy this Rest SECT I. I Have but one thing more to clear before I come to the Use of this doctrine And that is Whether this Rest remain till the resurrection before we shall enjoy it Or whether we shall have any possession of it before The Socinians and many others of late among us think that the soul separated from the body is either nothing or at least not capable of happiness or misery Truly if it
them on the left hand Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his angels For I was c. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment and the righteous into life eternal What sayest thou now to all this Wilt thou not yet believe If thou wilt not believe Christ I know not whom thou wilt believe and therefore it is in vain to perswade thee any further Only let me tell thee the time is at hand when thou wilt easily believe and that without any preaching or arguing when thou seest the great and terrible day and hearest the condemning sentence past and art thy self thrust down to Hell as Luk. 10.15 then thou shalt believe and never doubt again And do not say but thou wast told so much Surely he that so much disswades thee from believing doth yet believe and tremble himself Jam. 2.19 And whereas thou thinkest that God is more merciful why sure he knowes best his own mercifulness His mercy will not cross his Truth Cannot God be infinite in mercy except he save the wilful and rebellious Is a judg unmerciful for condemning malefactors Mercy and Justice have their several objects Thousands of humble believing obedient souls shall know to their eternall comfort that God is merciful though the refusers of his grace shall lye under Justice God will then force thy conscience to confess in Hell that God who condemned thee was yet merciful to thee Was it no mercy to be made a reasonable creature And to have Patience endure thy many yeers provocations and wait upon thee from Sermon to Sermon desiring and intreating thy repentance and return Was it no mercy to have the Son of God with all his blood and merits freely offered thee if thou wouldest but have accepted him to govern and to save thee Nay when thou hadst neglected and refused Christ once twice yea a hundred times that God should yet follow thee with invitations from day to day And shalt thou wilfully refuse mercy to the last hour and then cry out that God will not be so unmercifull as to condemn thee Thy conscience will smite thee for this madness and tell thee that God was merciful in all this though such as thou do perish for your wilfulness Yea the sense of the greatness of his mercy will then be a great part of thy torment And whereas thou thinkest the pain to be greater then the offence that is because thou art not a competent Judg Thou knowest what pain is but thou knowest not the thousand part of the evil of sin shall not the righteous Judg of the world do justly Nay it is no more then thou didst chuse thy self Did not God set before thee Life and Death and tell thee If thou wouldest accept of the Government of Christ and renounce thy Lusts that then thou shouldest have eternal Life And if thou wouldest not have Christ but the World or Flesh to rule over thee thou shouldest then endure eternal torments Did not he offer thee thy choice and bid thee take which of these thou wouldest yea and intreat thee to chuse aright And dost thou now cry out of Severity when thou hast but the consequents of thy wilful choice But it is not thy accusing God of cruelty that shall serve thy turn in stead of procuring thy escape or the mitigation of thy torments it will but make thy burthen the more heavy And whereas thou saist that thou wouldest not so torment thy own enemy I Answ. There is no Reason that thou shouldest For is it all one to offend a crawling Worm of the earth and to offend the eternal glorious God Thou hast no absolute dominion over thine enemy and there may be some fault in thy self as well as in him but with God and us the case is contrary Yet thou makest nothing of killing a Flea if it do but bite thee yea a hundred of them though they did not touch thee and yet never accusest thy self of cruelty Yea thou wilt torment thy Ox all his life time with toilsome labor and kill him at the last though he never deserved ill of thee nor disobeyed thee though thou hast over him but the borrowed authority of a superiour fellow creature and not the soveraign power of the absolute Creator Yea How commonly dost thou take away the lives of Birds and Beasts and Fishes Many times a great many of lives must be taken away to make for thee but one meal How many deaths then have been suffered in obedience to thy will from thy first Age to thy last hour and all this without any desert of the creature And must it yet seem cruelty that the Soveraign Creator who is ten thousand times more above thee then thou art above a Flea or a Toad should execute his Justice upon such a contemner of his Authority But I have given you some Reasons of this before SECT X. BUt methinks I perceive the obstinate sinner desperately resolving If I must be damned there is no remedy rather then I will live so precisely as the Scripture requireth I will put it to the venture I shall scape as well as the rest of my neighbours and as the most of the world and we will even bear it as well as we can Answ. Alas poor creature would thou didst but know what it is that thou dost so boldly venture on I dare say thou wouldest sleep this night but very unquietly Wilt thou leave thy self no room for Hope Art thou such a malicious implacable enemy to Christ and thy own soul And dost thou think indeed that thou canst bear the wrath of God and go away so easily with these eternal Torments Yet let me beg this of thee that before thou dost so flatly resolve thou wouldest lend me thine attention to these few Questions which I shall put to thee and weigh them with the reason of a man and if then thou think thou canst bear these pains I shall give thee over and say no more 1. Who art thou that thou shouldest bear the wrath of God Art thou a God or art thou a man what is thy strength to undergo so much Is it not as the strength of Wax or Stubble to resist the Fire or as Chaffe to the Winde or as the Dust before the fierce Whirlwinde Was he not as stout a man as thy self who cryed to God Job 13.25 Wilt thou break a leaf driven to and fro and wilt thou pursue the dry stubble and he that confesseth I am a worm and no man Psal 22.6 If thy strength were as iron and thy bones as brass thou couldest not bear If thy foundation were as the Earth and thy power as the Heavens yet shouldest thou perish at the breath of his Indignation How much more when thou art but a little piece of warm creeping breathing Clay kept a few days from stinking and from being eaten with Worms by the meer support and favor of him whom thou thus resistest
temper of the person All meats are not for all stomacks One man will vomit that up again in your face which another will digest 1. If it be a learned or ingenious rational man you must deal more by convincing Arguments and less by passionate perswasions 2. If it be one that is both ignorant and stupid there is need of both 3. If one that is convinced but yet is not converted you must use most those means that rouze up the affections 4. If they be obstinate and secure you must reprove them sharply 5. If they be of timorous tender natures and apt to dejections or distraction they must be tenderly dealt with All cannot bear that rough dealing as some can Love and Plainness and Seriousness takes with all but words of terror some can scarce bear This is as we say of stronger Physick Hellebore Colloquintida c. nec puero nec seni nec imbecillo sed robusto c. not fit for every complexion and state 3. You must be wise also in using the aptest expressions Many a Minister doth deliver most excellent necessary matter in such unsavory harsh and unseemly language that it makes the hearers loath the food that they should live by and laugh at a Sermon that might make them quake Especially if they be men of curious ears and carnal hearts and have more common wit and parts then the speaker And so it is in private Exhortation as well as publique If you cloath the most amiable beautiful Truth in the sordid rags of unbeseeming language you will make men disdain it as monstrous and deformed though it be the off-spring of God and of the highest nature SECT X. 7. LEt all your Reproofs and Exhortations be backed with the Authority of God Let the sinner be convinced that you speak not from your selves or of your own head Shew them the very words of Scripture for what you say Turn them to the very Chapter and Verse where their sin is condemned and where the duty is commanded Press them with the Truth and Authority of God Ask them whether they beleeve that this is his Word and that his Word is true So much of God as appeareth in our Words so much will they take The voyce of man is contemptible but the voyce of God is awful and terrible They can and may reject your words that cannot nor dare reject the words of the Almighty Be sure therefore to make them know that you speak nothing but what God hath spoken first SECT XI 8. YOu must also be Frequent with men in this Duty of Exhortation It is not once or twice that usually will prevail If God himself must be constantly solicited as if importunity could prevail with him when nothing else can and therefore require us always to pray and not to wax faint the same course no doubt will be most prevailing with men Therefore are we commanded to Exhort one another dayly and with all long-suffering As Lypsius saith The fire is not always brought out of the flint at one stroke nor mens affections kindled at the first exhortation And if they were yet if they be not followed they will soon grow cold again Weary out sinners with your loving and earnest entreaties Follow them and give them no rest in their sin This is true Charity and this is the way to save mens Souls and a course that will afford you comfort upon review SECT XII 9. STrive to bring all your Exhortations to an Issue Stick not in the work done but look after the success and aim at that end in all your speeches I have long observed it in Ministers and private men that if they speak never so convincing powerful words and yet their hearts do not long after the success of them with the hearers but all their care is over when they have done their speech pretending that having done their duty they leave the Issue to God these men do seldom prosper in their labors But those whose very heart is set upon the work and that long to see it take for the hearers conversion and use to enquire how it speeds God usually blesseth their labors though more weak Labor therefore to drive all your speeches to the desired Issue If you are reproving a sin cease not till if it may be you have got the sinner to promise you to leave it and to avoyd the occasions of it If you are exhorting to a Duty urge the party to promise you presently to set upon it If you would draw them to Christ leave not till you have made them confess that their present unregenerate state is miserable and not to be rested in and till they have subscribed to the necessity of Christ and of a change and till they have promised you to fall close to the use of means O that all Christians would be perswaded to take this course with all their Neighbors that are yet in the flesh that are enslaved to sin and strangers to Christ SECT XIII 10. LAstly Be sure that your Examples may Exhort as well as your words Let them see you constant in all the Duties that you perswade them to Let them see in your lives that difference from sinners and that excellency above the world which you perswade them to in your speeches Let them see by your constant Labors for Heaven that you do indeed beleeve that which you would have them to beleeve If you tell others of the admirable Joys of Heaven and your selves do nothing but drudg for the world and are as much taken up in striving to be rich or as quarrelsom with your Neighbors in a case of commodity as any others who will then beleeve you or who will be perswaded by you to seek the everlasting riches Will they not rather think that you perswade them to look after another world and to neglect this that so you might have the more of it to your self Let not men see you proud while you exhort them to be humble nor to have a seared Conscience in one thing while you would have theirs tender in another An innocent life is a continual powerful reproof to the wicked And the constant practice of a holy and heavenly life is a constant disquietment to the Conscience of a Worldling and a constant solicitation of him to change his course And thus I have opened to you the first and great part of this Duty consisting in private familiar Exhortation for the helping of poor Souls to this Rest that are out of the way and have yet no Title to it and I have shewed you also the maner how to perform it that you may succeed I will now speak a little of the next part SECT XIV BEsides the duty of private admonition you must do your utmost endevors to help men to profit by the publique Ordinances And to that end you must do these things 1. Do your endevors for the procuring of Faithful Ministers where
attamen ex cis confirmari possumus credâ—re Pet. Martyr Loci Commun cap. 8 pag. 38. vid. plura ibidem f Non per alios dispositionem salutis nostrae cognovimus quam perâ— eos per quos Evangelium pervenit ad nos quod quidem tunc preconiavêrunt postea verò per Dei voluntatem in Scripturis nobis tradiderunt fundamentum columnam fidei nostrae futurum Irenaeus adver haeres l. 3. c. 1. * Aquin. summ 3. q. 55. 2. c. §. 5. What the sin against the Holy Ghost is * How Hunnius was assaulted with this temptation that he had sinned against the holy Ghost you may read in his life and death And it is stil a common temptation Matth. 12.24 c. Mar 3.28 Joh 5.39 33. 45 46 47. Joh. 15 22.24 a Act 3.17 b 1 Cor. 2.8 * Nunc non ut olim sunt necessaria miracula priusquam crederet mundus necessaria fuere ad hoc ut mundus crederet ut August de Civit. Dei lib. 22. c. 8. §. 6. * Yet do I believe that that of 2 Pet. 1.20 is generally mistaken as if the Apostle did deny private men the liberty of interpreting Scriptures even for themselves When it is in regard of the object and not of the interpreter that the Apostle calleth it Private As if he should say The Prophets are a sure Testimony of the Doctrine of Christianity but then you must understand that they are not to be interpreted of the Private men that spoke them for they were but types of Christ the Publique person so Psal. 2. 16. c. are to be interpreted of Christ and not of David only a private person and but a type of Christ in all so that Peter answereth the Question of the Eunuch in Acts 8. Of whom doth the Prophet speak of himself privately or some other more publike man This is I think the true meaning of Peter c The Vse of Church Governours and Teachers and how far they are to be obeyed d Oportet discentem credere Aristot. in Analytic post e Tit. 1.7 1 Cor. 4.1 1 Cor. 12.16.17.21 Luke 12.42 Heb. 13.3.17.24 1 Tim. 3.5 Act. 20.28 1 Tim. 3. â— 5. 1 Pet. 5.2 1 Cor. 4.15 d Haec duo dictat ipsa ratio Primò In mysteriis quae superant rationem non nitendum esse ratiocinantis Logicá sed Revelantis authoritate Secundò In consequentiis deducendis aut obscuris in Religione interpretandis magis fidendum esse caetui in nomine Domini legitimè congregatis quam privatis spiritibus seorsim sapientibus recalcitrantibus Doct. Prideaux Lect. 22. de Auth. Eccl. pag. 361. See Doctor Jackson Eternall truth of Scripture lib. 2. chap. 1.2 3 4 5 6. * I may say of many of them for doctrine as Fulbeck of Bracton Britton c. Direct p. 27. There be certaine ancient writers whom as it is not unprofitable to read so to relye on them is dangerous their books are Monumenta adorandae rubiginis of more reverence then authority Argument 2. § 1. I take it for granted that good Angels could not be guilty of forging the Scripture § 2. Not of man * Mahâ—mâ—â— was 〈…〉 by the Arabian soldiers for their commander In his Alcoâ—an he confesseth himself to be a sinner an Idolater an Adulterer given to Lechery His Laws run thus Avenge your selves of your enemies Take as many wives as you can keep and spare not Kill the Infidels he that fighteth lazily shall be damned and he that killeth most shall be in Paradise He saith that Christ had the Spirit and Power of God and the soul of God and that he is Christs servant See Alcoran Azoar 2.3.6 Also Azoar 18.4.11.13 He confesseth that Christ is the Spirit and word and messenger of God that his doctrine iâ— perfect that it enlighteneth the old Testament and that he came to confirm it yet denyeth him to be God Magnus fuit Sanctus magnus Dei amicus magnus propheta c. Vide Thom. Bradwardin de Causa Dei lib. 1. cap. 1. Corol. part 32. § 3. Vid. Wigandum in Method ante comment in mino prophetas Joh. 7 48.49 Acts 10. § 4. Argum. 3. §. 1. Object §. 2. * Cum Romani in victoriosae antiquitatis memoriam templum singulari schemate a facere decrevissent ab omni illâ deorum immo daemoniorum multitudinâ— quaesierunt usquequo durare pusset tam excellentis operis tam operosa constructio Responsum est Donec virgo pareret Illi ad impossibilitatem Oraculum retorquentes templum aeternum solennem illam machinam vocaverunt Nocte autem cum virginali thalamo virginius flos Mariae egressus est ita cecidit confractum est illud mirabile et columnarium opus ut vix appareant vestigia ruinarum Bernard in Natal Domini Serm. 23. 1 Sam. 7.12 * To speak my heart All that I fear is lest Master Herbert be a true Prophet and the Gospel be in its solar motion travelling for the West and American parts and qultting its present places of residence and unworthy professours and possessours And then farewell England But else not §. 3. * Not that Miracles are still necessary but speciall providences do much confirme Nec jam opus est Miraculus cum in omnem terram verbum sonuerit Doct. Humfredus Jesiutis part 1. pag. 114. §. 4. * About the time of the silencing of Ministers how many Churches in England were torne at once with terrible lightning and almost no place else but Churches were touched especially in the lower part of Devonshire where many were scorched maimed and some their brains struck out as they sat in Church And at the Church of Anthony in Cornwall neer Plimouth on Witsunday 1640. See the Relation in Print §. 5. * Was it not neer a Miracle that God wrought for Mistris Honywood when she threw the glass up to the wall saying if this glassbreak not I may be saved c. and yet took it up whole §. 6. Psal. 2.2 3 4 5. a Morneâ— Grotius Doct. Jaâ—â—son Parsons Resolut part 2. c. b Ask them in New England whether Mistris Hutchinsons and Mistris Dyers most hideous monstrous births were not convincing providences against their Antinomian Anti-scriptural heresies as if God from heaven had spoke against them and yet Old England will not take warning See Nicephor Eccl. hist. Tem. 1. li. 4. cap. 13. where Tertulli Jul. Capitolinus Orosius c. do mention c The Legion of Malta in the time of Mar. Aurelius who procured by prayer both Thunder on the enemies and raine for the Army See the Epist. of M. Aurelius in Justin Martyrs Apolo Xiphitin in Vita Aurelij Melch. Adam in vita Myconij Recorded by Sozom. and others Jam. 5.13 14 15 16. Psal. 73.26 August de Civitate Dei lib. 33. Argum. 4. §. 1. §. 2. Lege Epistolam Vâ—ssii de Samuele apparente Saulo in Joan Beverovitii Epistolis Et D. Prideaux Hypomnemata pag. 261 262
Melch. Adam in vita Luth. Sozom. lib. 6. cap. 28. Lib. 7 c. 23. Lavater pag. 64 65. De gent. Sept. lib. 2. cap. 3. Exam. Theol. In obsidione Nolanae Civitatis Nolanum Episcopum Faelicem mortuum conspectum fuisse a multis civitatem illam defendentem refert August lib de Mirab. Scripturae si ille liber sit Augustini Scio innumera reserri fabulosa vel a fraude c. sed n a vâ—ris tum doctis tum perspicacibus tum gravibus probis pluramis retrò seculis allata sunt hodie memorantur innumera ubi non possit non cum operá humana concurrisse illusio aut vâ—s diabolica supplente viz. spiritu maligno quod hominis superet potestatem Vossius Epistol de Samuele in Beverovitii Epistol pag. 203. Vid. Mercur. viperam de prodig lib. 8. Psellum Thyreus de locis infestis Object So his seeming Miracles Lege Jo. Bap. Van Helmont de Lethiasi c. 9 §. 27. pag. 168. §. 3. Si quando nos oporteat his opitulari non loquamur cum spiritu vel adjurando vel imperando quasi nos audiat sed tantum precibus jejuniis incumbendo perfeveremus Origen in Math. 17. The devil had the power of death saith the holy Ghost Heb. 2.14 Vid. Petr. Martyr in Loc. Commun Class 1. cap. 8. §. 8. pag. 39 40. Daemoniaci semper fere sunt melancholici sed non omnes melancholici daemoniaci Forest. obs lib. 10. obs 19. Melch. Adam in vit Luther Vide Petr. Martyr Loc. Commun Clas 1. cap. 9. per totum For speaking strange languages versifying See Graine rius Tract 15. de melanc c. 4. Et Wierum de praesagijs li. 2. c. 21 22. 22. Et Forest. obs lib. 20. Obs. 19. in schol De Abdit Rer. Causis l. 2. c. 16. Vide Fael Plateri Observat. pag. 20. de stupore daemoniaco et de Exorcista ipso a Daemone percusso et laeso * Lib. 30. de Venenis observat 8. in schol Cyprian Serm. de lapsis hath a History of one possessed and of her impatience during the time of prayer And in those times when they went to Sacrament the Catechised the penitents and the possessed were all warned to depart the Assembly Tertul. Apolog. §. 4. Car. Piso. de morbis serosis observ 9. de Dolore auris cum odontaâ—giâ pag. 45 26. Even the Papists confesse that all those spels scrols and actions which must be done at such an hour or in such a form and order and with such circumstances as nothing conduce to the effect intended if these do any thing it is from the devill Vide Reginaldum Prax. conscien Cas. part 1. Q. 7. Prax. for poenitential lib. 17. nu 157. Seq * See Sir Ken. Digby of the Immort of the soul. And Ab. Rosse his Philosophicall Touchstone in Ans. to it §. 5. §. 6. a Sir Walter Raleigh Hist. of the World sheweth that Pythagoras Orphaeus and Plato had their doctrine of God from Scripture but durst not profess it Plotinus was Origens condisciple of Ammonius therefore no wonder if he be liker a Divine then the rest See Pemble Vind. Grat. of this pag 60.61 62. c. b Therefore Numenius cited by Orig. against Celsus doth call him Moses Atticus And divers of Numenius his Books do recite with great reverence many texts out of Moses and the Prophets c Though the Epistles betwixt Paul and Seneca may be fained yet it is more then probable that he had heard or read Pauls Doctrine Aquin. Sum. prima 1 ae Art 1. Q. 1. 2 a. 2 ae Q 2. Art 3 4. §. 7 Object Object §. 8. a The Apocryphal books are but Records more imperfect and uncertain of the same doctrine for the substance with the rest though mixt with some suspected History and doth confirm but not contradict the Scriptures and but few of those books do pretend to a Divine Authority as the rest b Though Mahomet pretended to speak from God as Prophet The barbarousness and sottishness of his Alcoran its contradiction to its self and to the Scripture which he acknowledgeth may satisfie any man of its forgery so that it is the most stupendious Judgment of God that so great a part of the world should continue so brutish as to believe and follow him still Read â—radwardines excellent dispute of this subject De causa Dei lib. 1. cap. 1. Corol. part 32. Grotius de veritate Relig. Christianae * As pag. 10. with thâ— first Argumâ—nt to confirm it and so pag. 18. and the frequent use of the equivocal tearm Foundation without explication So Dr. Preston on the Attributes pag. 47 48. and forward And Byfields Principles §. 1. Matth. 22.5 6 7. Luke 14 24. Heb. 12.14 Joh. 3.3 Joh 3 18.36 1 Cor. 6.9 10. Gal. 5.21 Psal 9.17 2 Thes 1.8 9 10. §. 1. Question It is a doubt whether to be in place only Dâ—finitive not Circumscriptive do not contradict the definition of place ‖ Vers. 6.7 8. * Crotius his fancie â—hat to be with Christ is no more then to be Christi depositum is evidently vain for so to be with Christ would not be best of all seeing that our meer deliverance from present sufferings is not so great a good as our present life in the service and enjoyment of God in his ordinances and mercies though accompanied with imperfection and afflictions Except he take a stone or a carkass to be happier then a man * Doct. Twisse See Barlows Exercit. post Metaph. Schib Jo. Franciscus Picus Mirand saith he heard of a Pope that in his life time told a familiar friend of his that he believed not the Immortality of souls His friend beâ—ng dead appeared to him as he watched and told him that his soul which he believed to be mortall he should by the Just Judgement of God prove to be immortall to his exceeding torment in eternall fire This Pope seemeth to be Leo the tenth Vide Du Plessis Mysterie of Iniquity pag. 641. Polycarpus inter multas praeclaras voces quas flâ—mmae admotâ—sâ— didit eo die repraesentandum se dixit coram deo in spiritu Quo eâ—dâ—m tempore Mâ—lito Episcopus Sardensis vir paris siâ—ceritatis librum scripsit de corporâ— anima c. Adeo autem haec sententia mâ—liore illo sâ—culo valuit ut Tertullianus reponat eam inter communes primas animi conceptiones quae natura communiter appraebenduntur Calvin in Psychopannyc vid. Euseb. Histor. lib. 1. c. 15. tit c. If you would see this subject handled more fully and all the Arguments answered which are brought to prove That souls have neither Joy nor Pain till the Resurrection See Calvins Treatise hereof called Psychopannychia §. 1. §. 2. Vse I. Consuevimus nos homines praesertim qui crassiore mente praediti sumus metis potius quam beneficicia quod oporâ—et addiscerâ— Tophylact in Joan. c. 5. vers 22. Judg. 2.20 21. Matth. 10.31