amorous Gestures often overrule their kind Husbands of which sort Adam was undoubtedly one and induce them to do what otherwise they would abstain from And if Secondly we consider that the Fruit of the Tree of the Knowledg of Good and Evil being sweet and delicious and for that greedily fed upon by Eve would not only quicken and augment her animal Spirits but would also by its too much Nutriment enflame and overheat her Body of an equal Temper till she had listened to the Tempter and thence excite Venereal Desires which are apt to enliven the Luster of the Eyes the Briskness of the Countenance and the Amorousness of the Gesture in her and so render her more delicate and taking than she had formerly appear'd to be 't will be the less wonder that Adam should be surprised and hearken to the Voice of his Wife especially if withal it be minded that the State of Integrity consisted more in the even and unbyass'd Frame and Constitution of the Body and Soul of Man than in the strong Habit of Virtue which was by degrees through the frequent Exercise of pious Duties perform'd to grow to perfection in the Soul as is manifest by this that diverse both Men and Women under the Gospel Dispensation have through the Power of Christian Virtues encountred far sharper Tryals of their Obedience to Gods Commands and victoriously triumphed over them than those which our Prime Parents were at the first assault easily vanquished by as the Multitude of Holy Confessors and glorious Martyrs abundantly testifie 6. Thus our first Parents fell that is they eat of the forbidden Tree by which they were deprived of that Estate which if continued in would have made them at length for ever happy seeing that before their consenting to eat their Minds were placed chiefly on God and so only on other Things as subservient and tending to further the full Fruition of him by loving him with all the Heart with all the Soul with all the Strength and with all the Mind But as soon as their Desires were ardently set on the coveted Fruit their due Conformity of Mind to God was violated thereby in that their Affections were turned away from the due Love of God to the inordinate Love of the Apple by which they departed from their Original State in preferring the Vanity of a Sensual Pleasure before the Spiritual Delight of the Soul. 7. After the forbidden Fruit was eaten and digested our Prime Progenitors were yet more estranged from their Maker by strong Venereal Desires which it raised in them strong I say because if they had continued in their first Estate those Desires would have been wholly regulated by their Rational Faculties and not at all violent whereas after the Digestion of the Fruit they were inflamed with immoderate Lust to each other whence looking towards the satisfying of their Carnal Appetite their Spiritual Love to God as their Sovereign Delight stood at a still greater distance thereby For that the Fruit through its deliciousness and nutritive Nature excited them to Venery besides that Physitians inform us that Sweet being compounded of what is moderately hot and moist is very nutritive and generative Seed the Superfluity of Nutriment may be easily gathered from Gen. 3. 7. compared with Gen. 3. 11. whilst it is said in the seventh Verse And the Eyes of them both were opened and they knew that they were naked and they sewed Fig-leaves together and made themselves Aprons and in the eleventh Verse God replying to Adam who had rendred this Excuse for hiding himself that he was afraid because he was naked said Who told thee that thou wast naked hast thou eaten of the Tree whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat fairly intimating that the eating of the Tree was that which discovered to our first Parents their Nakedness not so much by putting them in mind of their Sin as by manifesting of their Shame the latter of which it was that troubled them not the former as seems evident by their covering of their Nakedness and excusing their eating of the Fruit. So that this which was their Fault gave them not their Disturbance but 't was the Effect thereof that caused their Trouble to wit their Nakedness or the swelling Motion of their Generative Parts not then under the absolute Power and Command of their Wills as they had formerly no less then the rest of the Members of the Body always been which thing being ashamed of they sought to cover those unruly Parts by sewing Fig-leaves together and making themselves Aprons to hide them with Nor is this a new Interpretation of the Passage as the great St. Austin will witness whose Words are these Posteaquam Praecepti facta est transgressio confestim gratià deserente Divinâ de corporum suorum nuditate confusi sunt unde etiam foliis ficulneis quae forte a perturbatis prima comperta sunt pudenda texerunt quae prius eadem Membra erant sed pudenda non erant senserunt ergo novum motum inobedientis Carnis sitae tanquam reciprocam poenam inobedientiae suae Aug. de Civitate Dei Lib. 13. Cap. 13. i. e. After a Transgression of the Precept was committed the Divine Grace straightway deserting them they were troubled for the Nakedness of their Bodies whereupon they covered with Fig-leaves which haply they first in their Perturbation met with their undecent Members which before were the same Members but were not undecent they felt therefore a new Motion of their disobedient Flesh as a reciprocal Punishment of their Disobedience SECT VI. Original Sin the natural Consequent of eating of the forbidden Fruit and how What Original Sin is God cleared from being the Author of it Actual Sin is excited by Original All Miseries incident to Man as well as Sin are the bitter Fruit of the Tree of the Knowledg of Good and Evil 1. AFter the Equability of Temper in the Bodies of our Common Parents was corrupted Sect. 5. Par. 4. the same Objects which had no power to move the sensible Appetite of themselves before more than was convenient would now raise a different Motion in it by reason the same Causes in a Subject diversly disposed will have different Effects Wherefore since there would be a perpetual Commerce between the Senses of our first Parents and corporal Agents from every hand incessantly almost beating on them with Objects grateful to the now corrupted sensitive Appetite the Inequality of their Bodies Temper once begun could not chuse but still continue And in regard the Seed of Generation is an Extract from the Body participating of the Nature and Qualities of it the male Disposition of our Prime Progenitors Bodies never to be restored to their primitive Constitution would be transmitted by propagation to their Children and from them to their Off-spring and so successively downward to the Worlds end 2. Wherefore since we are convinced by constant Experience that Mans Body by reason of its close
regard had to his Wisdom and Goodness which always determine his Will to command that which is good for the Creature seeing nothing can be so extrase to himself the Almighty would have been as Benign and merciful being ever of necessity the same Sect. 1. Par. 8. as he now is if so be he had inflicted on all Mankind without any Demerit of theirs the most exquisite and endless Torments because he would have been no less their Creator by doing that then in shewing the greatest Kindness imaginable The truth of this Assertion that God obtain'd not a Sovereignty over Man to command him any thing whatsoever pleaseth him upon the bare account of the Creation may be somewhat illustrated if we take into consideration the Right which Parents have to command their Children who doubtless are not obliged to Obedience upon this sole account that they were begotten by them for otherwise Obedience from Children to Parents would be due to be performed to them however qualified insomuch that neither extream Folly nor raging Madness nor any other thing whatsoever could incapacitate them justly to exact at all times and in all things an entire Observance of all their Commands whatever they should be because their Parental Right of Dominion and Authority over them would be in all Conditions the same if it only arose and grew from this that they were the Issue of their Bodies but who ever was known to assert the Duty of such Obedience The truth is in whomsoever a Regular Power of commanding or giving Precepts to others according to the Principles and Dictates of Reason justly resides there are those three things previously required and presumed to be in him First A Will and Desire to do them good Secondly An Understanding sufficient to judge what will at least in probability procure their good Thirdly A Power enabling him to encourage them to Obedience by proposing a Benefit to be rationally expected by their observance of what he commands and on the contrary to deter them from Disobedience by threatning Harm to befal them if they refuse or neglect to do what is enjoyned Whence appears a manifest Reason why God is always actively to be obeyed but Human Powers are not so For God through the absolute Purity of his Nature has a stedfast unchangeable Mind and Will to do good and by reason of his infallible Wisdom a constant Ability to know what is good and in virtue of his Omnipotency a lasting indeficient Power to benefit the due Observers of his Commands and to denuntiate Evil which will infallibly befall the Violaters of them whereas all Human Powers are at one time or other or at least may be destitute of some one or more of the mentioned Qualifications and thereupon may command what is repugnant to some Moral Precept and so are not necessarily to be actively complied with in every thing they give in Command to some Moral Precept I say because though all Positive Divine Precepts as well as Moral are to be actively obeyed yet the Reason of that is founded on the Morality of this Truth that it is contradictory to the Wisdom and Goodness of God to command any thing that will not certainly be good for him who is required to do what is commanded if he yield a chearful Obedience thereunto Here some might probably interpose and say that Slaves and Servants are bound to obey their Lords and Masters and yet they do not do the things commanded for their own but for their Lords and Masters Profit To this I answer that Masters of Servants and Owners of Slaves are not truly speaking their Governours nor is the Duty these owe them properly a Duty of Obedience but of Commutative Justice arising from a mutual Contract express or tacite Servants selling their Work either all of it or half of it or some part of it only as their Masters and they agree for Hire and Slaves parting with the Property of their Bodies and Goods for the saving of their Lives in their Enemies power to have been taken away so that it is upon the account of Compact and Bargain that Servants and Slaves are obliged to perform their Masters and Lords Wills and Pleasures and not from strict Obedience which is properly a Duty tending to the Advantage of those who are obliged to it If it be replied that Subjects however owe Obedience to their Sovereigns in a proper sense and yet These seek their own as well as their Peoples Benefit I rejoyn that since Sovereign Princes cannot without the Aid and Help of others maintain their Authority as the Almighty can do his which makes a difference in that respect between him and all other Governours for the Preservation of the People they are to rule unless They themselves be preserved in Person Power and Wealth agreeable to their Office it is absolutely requisite that They should reap such Benefit by the Obedience of their Subjects as is necessary to preserve Themselves and their Government no less then the People committed to their Charge If it be yet still further urged that admitting God cannot give a Command but only such as tends to the Good of the Creature yet it does not follow thence that this End is the Ratio formalis the very Reason of the goodness of the Command but a necessary Consequent only of it for whatsoever is agreeable to the eternal Rectitude of the Divine Wisdom to be made a Law Obedience thereunto must of necessity be good to Man but such a Law however is good in it self of which sort are all the Precepts of the Moral Law. I answer it is an uncontroulable Maxim that Cessante ratione Legis cessat Lex i. e. as to the Equity of it or the reasonableness of its being put in execution for a Legislator may sometimes prudently forbear the direct express Repealing of a Law tho it be not for the present beneficial or fit to be made use of and the Reason of a Law evermore then ceaseth when it becomes unserviceable to the End or unuseful to procure or further the Good for which it was made so that if it were possible that the Moral Law could cease to be serviceable to as many as use it aright to the End for which it was given namely to advance Humane Nature towards its Perfection by the Fruition of Mans Chief Good it would cease to be a Law. For let Aquinas be in the right that Scientia Dei est causa scitorum ab ipso 1 ma. par Quaest 14. Art. 9. 3 m. and consequently that Gods seeing a Law to be perpetually good makes it to be really so yet it is no otherwise then by seeing it to be a perpetual fit apt and proper means to further the procuring of the End designed to be obtained by the true Observers of it thereby From which consideration it is apparent why a perpetual Obligation lies upon all Men to keep the Moral Law namely because it is at all times
RELIGION AND REASON Adjusted and Accorded OR A DISCOURSE WHEREIN Divine Revelation is made appear to be a congruous and connatural Way of affording proper Means for making Man eternally happy through the perfecting of his RATIONAL NATVRE With an APPENDIX of OBJECTIONS FROM Divers as well Philosophers as Divines and their Respective ANSWERS Licensed Sept. 28. 1687. Rob. Midgley LONDON Printed for the Author and are to be sold at the Peacock in St. Paul's Church-Yard 1688. THE PUBLISHER TO THE READER WHen I first look'd upon the Title and cursorily viewed the Contents of the following Tract I severely enough censured in my Thoughts the boldness of the Undertaking and well-nigh condemned the whole Discourse in my Mind before I had read any part thereof But entring upon the Treatise it self I straightway saw sufficient Cause to suspend a while my Judgment on it and by degrees the further progress I made in it to retract my sharp Censure and at length by frequent reading of the entire Discourse instead of blaming the Author's Attempt to admire the happy Success of the Undertaking and to esteem it as one of the most convincing Tractates so likewise of the greatest Vsefulness I have mostly met with For the Contexture of it is such as that it is in appearance to me a continued Chain of necessary Truths inseparably link'd together and those of such importance at this time when Science falsly so call'd is opposed to Revelation that I trust it may prove an excellent Antidote against the spreading Poyson of several Antichristian Errors of late rise amongst us whilst it clearly shews that Divine Revelation is so far from contradicting dethroning or evacuating Right Reason that the very Design of Christianity is to enlighten elevate and improve the same in order to the rendring it more serviceable by Ways and Means agreeable to human Nature to promote the End of Man's Creation than it could otherwise possibly have been forasmuch as the close and amicable Concurrence of Revelation and Reason is declared and explained throughout the Discourse to be but as one Joynt-Principle of directing and conducting Man to the final happy condition for which he was created Wherein because I hold the Author's Sense to be worthy of general Cognizance especially considering the great Advance of Atheism Antitrinitarianism and other abominable Opinions in this Nation all pretending to Reason but in truth repugnant to it as by this small Piece will I am confident though without mentioning any of them be made appear I advised since it was referred to my decision whether the Author's Latin or English Copy should be published that the English should rather at present be Printed than the Latin one being induced and led thereto chiefly from these two Considerations First Because divers Persons of generous Education and great Wit who though they have a competent Knowledg in the Roman Tongue yet cannot without more pains than they are usually willing to bestow throughly understand a Latin Author having been too much carried away by a shew of Reason in prejudice of Revealed Religion will here find not unpleasant Entertainment and very beneficial for undeceiving them Secondly Because on the contrary many others are such Bigots in Devotion that they are all Zeal without Judgment and so run into various Superstitions for want of a due and just estimate of the Nature of God and Godliness whilst imagining meer Obedience to the divine Will abstracted from the consideration of the proper and peculiar Vsefulness of the Duties commanded by God to make Men truly pious to be the design of Religion as if Faith Hope and Charity were therefore only good and serviceable to render men happy because they are commanded and not therefore commanded by reason they are proper Means conducible in their Natures to that end they weakly think the Almighty to receive real Delight Pleasure and Contentment from the Services of Men and contrariwise to be grieved displeased and angry when he is not exactly worshipped accordingly as they apprehend he desires to be neither reflecting that if disobedience to the Precepts of God wrought an affection of Grief Discontent and Anger in him he would be far more miserable than the most wretched Creature alive seeing innumerable Myriads every moment of time heinously transgress his holy Laws nor yet being aware that God requires Honour and Worship to be given him here on Earth for the furthering the end and intendment of the Gospel in bringing Man to everlasting Beatitude whereby he glorifies his Maker and Redeemer for ever but yet not to requite gratifie and pleasure God thereby who being eternally and essentially happy in his own transcendent Perfection is incapable even to contradiction as the Author says and proves to acquire or receive any the least advantage either of Profit or Pleasure to himself from the very best Performances of his Creature The Mistake or Oversight of which Truth often occasions many great Mischiefs both in Church and State in that through an indiscreet fervor for the Almighty's Honour fiery Zelots think they do God good Service if they obstinately oppose or even destroy his supposed Enemies that dishonour as they conceit his holy Name whensoever any thing is enjoyned by Superiors however innocent in it self which God himself has not commanded to be observed in his Worship And as these are guilty of negative Superstition so are there others that are so of positive whilst in conscientiously performing meer external acts of Adoration and Obedience they belive they honour God as they ought to do and thence really content and please him whereas nothing fulfils his Design of giving Laws to Men whereby he exacts the doing of their Duty unless it be done for the desire they have to enjoy him everlastingly the Fruition of his Presence by loving the same with all the might of the Soul being that Honour which God ultimately requires and whereunto all other Acts of Worship and Adoration are of right to tend of which if they fall short they are evermore perform'd in vain as is demonstratively shewn in the subsequent Discourse where good Reader thou 'lt find how each singular Virtue and every distinct Office of Christian Religion directly tends by divine Ordination to the begetting augmenting or perfecting the love of God in the Soul the whole Treatise almost being nothing else but an exemplifying in particulars what that pious Prelate the Bishop of Bath and Wells in his Exposition on the Church-Catechism or the Practise of divine Love writes in general pag. 4. in these few words As all particular Graces are but the love of God varied by diffeferent Instances and Relations so all particâ—lar Sins are nothing but Concupiscence or the love of one Creature or other in competition with or opposition to the love of God. Which remarkable Truth if it were well imprinted in mens Hearts would as on the one side certainly destroy the Opinion of holding the meer Opus operatum or the external
understand him more and more and to obtain the sight of him for ever 4. And as the praising and exalting God's Excellence in respect of his Essence Power and Wisdom has an Influence on the Soul to beget and strengthen the Love of God therein so doth also the giving of Thanks unto him for his loving Kindness and Mercy to Man in creating preserving and redeeming him proportionably to the seriousness and frequency of doing it of necessity elevate the Heart to God and make it in Love with him Object 1. If the design of commanding Prayer to be made to God and of Praise and Thanks to be given to the Divine Majesty be to cause the Elevation of the Heart unto him Vocal Prayer Praise and Thanksgiving the howing of the Knee the lifting up of the Hands and Eyes and all Gestures of the Body are to no purpose seeing the Heart may be raised and lifted up to God without them Solut. That Bodily Exercise is not absolutely necessary to Salvation is plain from hence that some are dumb and cannot speak some are not able through Infirmity to bow the Knee or lift up their Hands others want their Sight and have not Eyes wherewith to look up to Heaven and yet all of them may be saved and go to Bliss and undoubtedly shall do so if they be habitually possessed of Charity when they leave the World. But nevertheless this is no Argument that Bodily Exercise is to no purpose or that it may be omitted by those who are in a condition with convenience to perform it For an earnest and vehement expression of words an humbling our selves with reverence on our Knees and the lifting up our Hands and Eyes to Heaven are all of them Helps to stir up inward Devotion and make our Prayers Praises and Thanks more fervent and consequently more effectual to promote Charity Nor is the Musick either of Voices or Instruments unuseful for exciting Devotion whilst it is apt to put the animal Spirits into such a motion as will cause the Heart to be carried with delight towards the Object of Worship which men endeavour to honour and celebrate thereby Object 2. Although external Actions and Gestures may improve internal Affection to God yet that men should be obliged to this or that Form of Words or manner of Gesture in the Church seems unreasonable seeing the same Words and Gestures do not move all men alike Solut. To use several Forms and Gestures in the publick Congregation at once would be very inconvenient and a great hinderance to Devotion For as to Words wherein Prayer Praise and Thanksgivings are offered to God in a public way 't is requisite they should be the same to all as well to avoid Confusion and Distraction which otherwise would certainly fall out as also for that Christians meeting together to offer up in common Prayer Praise and Thanks to God and desiring the same things should use the same means to testifie their joynt Consent and Concern for the mutual Encouragement of their Devotion in Christianity as Members of the same Body under one Head Christ Jesus And in regard the same Form is convenient to be used by the whole Congregation and that some of necessity must appoint the same it is apparent to see that the chief Governours of the Church who being generally ancient and learned men and constantly exercised in matters of Religion are the best able to do it well should have that Charge principally committed to them And as for the Ceremonious part of Religious Exercises in public since all decent Habits and Gestures are indifferent in themselves to be made use of and that it is evident that the more public and of greater Authority Ecclesiastical Persons be the easier and more obvious will it be for them to know what Habits and Gestures are esteemed the most common and commendable Signs and Tokens of Decency Humility and Reverence which every private Person who hath his particular Concerns to look after and is not called by the Course of Providence to order Church Affairs cannot do it must in reason be granted that the Principal Managers of Ecclesiastical Matters the Prelates ought in prudence seeing the Signs of Respect and Honour are different in different times and places so as no Rule more than in general could be left in Scripture for them to be the Persons entrusted to declare appoint and enjoyn what Ceremonious Habits and Gestures are to be used in the administration of Public Divine Offices SECT XVII The two great Sacraments instituted by Christ for the Benefit of his Church Baptism and the Lords Supper were ordained to be serviceable to Charity the one in procuring it the other in preserving it Yea and all other Divine Institutions and Ordinances whatsoever are only so many designed ministerial Helps thereunto 1. WHatever Virtues or Christian Duties have hitherto been spoken of 't is apparent from what hath been said of them that they every one of them have their Accomplishment in establishing Charity in the Souls of Men. And no less certain is it that all other Ordinances of God particularly the two great Sacraments of the Church to pass by for brevities sake Confirmation Holy Orders c. Baptism and the Lords Supper have no other end or design save either to beget Charity in the Soul or to advance it towards Perfection being first seated there 2. For in that a Sacrament is an outward and visible Sign of an inward and Spiritual given unto us ordained by Christ himself as a Means whereby we receive the same and a Pledg to assure us thereof it is clear that if Charity be the Spiritual Grace here intended it is the End and Accomplishment of every Sacrament 3. And that Charity is the Spiritual Grace here intended is plain not only from hence that nothing is truly Virtuous or of any prevalency towards the obtaining of everlasting Life which is not done out of Love to God Sect. 14. Par. 1. and from the Apostles Testimony averring that all other Gifts Graces and Performances without Charity profit nothing 1 Cor. 13. but also from the account given of the two mentioned Sacraments themselves in the Churches Catechism 4. For according to that the inward and Spiritual Grace given in Baptism is a Death unto Sin and a new Birth unto Righteousness and Charity in that it formally expells mortal Sin and frees from everlasting Damnation and the Torments of Hell is formal Righteousness Sect. 11. 5. And to the Question proposed what the Benefits be whereof we are made partakers by the eating and drinking the Body and Blood of Christ in the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper The Answer is made the strengthening and refreshing of our Souls by the Body and Bloud of Christ as our Bodies are by the Bread and Wine by which it is manifest that in the nourishing and strengthening of our Souls by spiritual Food is the End of this great Sacrament attain'd And as Bread and Wine are