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A46991 A collection of the works of that holy man and profound divine, Thomas Iackson ... containing his comments upon the Apostles Creed, &c. : with the life of the author and an index annexed.; Selections. 1653 Jackson, Thomas, 1579-1640.; Oley, Barnabas, 1602-1686.; Vaughan, Edmund. 1653 (1653) Wing J88; Wing J91; ESTC R10327 823,194 586

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men in all points They would judge it damnable presumption for the most learned amongst their Laitie to professe as great skil in the Canons of their Church as their Cardinals Bishops Abbats or other principal Members of it either have or make shew of a great presumption of Heresie in any of their Flock to discusse the Meaning of their Decretals as accurately as their Canonists or sift other Mysteries of their Religion as narrowly as the Casuists do Should one of their greatest Philosophers that were no Clergy-man or profest Divine professe he knew the Meaning of that Canon in the Trent-Councel Sacramenta conferunt gratiam ex opere operato as wel as Soto Valentian or Vasques did Suarez or other their greatest School-men in Spain or Italy now living do it would breed as dangerous a Quarrel in their Inquisition as if he had entred comparison with a Rabbin in a Jewish Synagogue for skil in expounding Moses Law 9 That the Scriptures therefore may be said a sufficient Rule of Faith and Christian Carriage to all sorts or Conditions of Men it is sufficient that every Christian man of what sort or Condition soever may have the general and necessary Points of Catholick Faith and such Particulars as belong unto a Christian and Religious Carriage in his own Vocation perspicuously and plainly set down in them And no doubt but it was Gods Wil to have them in matters concerning one calling not so facile unto such as were of another Profession that every man might hence learn Sobriety and be occasioned to seek if not only yet principally after the true Sense and Meaning of those Scriptures which either necessarily concern all or must direct him in that Christian Course of life whereunto his God hath called him But shal this Difficulty of some Parts which ariseth from the Diversitie of Vocations be thought any hinderance why the whole Canon of Scripture should not be a perfect Rule to all in their several Vocations Suppose some universal Artist or compleat Cyclopedian should set out an absolute System or Rule for all secular sciences it would be ridiculous exception to say his Works could be no perfect Rule for young Grammarians Rhetoricians Logicians or Moralists because he had some difficult Mathematical Questions or abstruse Metaphysical discourses which would require a grounded schollers serious Pains and long search to understand them throughly and if he should admonish young students to begin first with those common and easie Arts and not to meddle with the other until they had made good trial of their Wit and Industrie in the former this would be a good token of a perfect Teacher and one sit to rule our Course in all those studies which he professeth And yet the Scriptures which the Jesuites would not have acknowledged for the rule of Christian Life besides all the infallible rules of Life and salvation common to all admonish every man to seek after the Knowledge of such things as are most for Edifying or most besitting his particular Calling 10 And even in S. Pauls Epistles which are the Common Places of our Adversaries invention in this Argument after he comes to direct his speeches as in the later end of them usualy he doth unto Masters of Families servants or the like or generally where he speaks of any Christian dutie either private or publick his Rules are as plain and easie to all men in this Age as they were to those Housholders or servants or the like unto whom they were first directed So plain and easie they are unto all Ages and so familiar especially to men of meaner Place that I much doubt whether the Pope himself and all his Cardinals were able in this present Age to speak so plainly unto the Capacitie or so familiarly to the Experience of men of their Qualitie unto whom he wrote For setting aside the absolute Truth and Infallibilitie of his Doctrines his manner of delivering them is so familiar so lowly so heartily humble so natural and so wel befitting such mens disposition in their sober thoughts as were impossible for the Pope to attain unto or imitate unlesse he would abjure his triple Crown and abstract himself from all Court state or solace unlesse he would for seven years addict himself unto Familiaritie with such men in a Pastoral Charge It was was an excellent Admonition of one of their Cardinals if I mistake not and would to God our Church would herein be admonished by him to begin alwayes with the later end of S. Pauls Epistles For once well experienced in them we should easily attain unto the true sense and meaning of the former Parts which usually are doctrinal and therefore more difficult then the later Yet the true reason of those difficulties in the former Parts containing doctrine is because he wrote them against the disputers of that Age especially the Jews Even in this Age they are only seen in matters that concern learned Expositors of Scriptures not necessary for private and unlearned persons to know And the especial reason why his doctrine in some Epistles as in the Epistle to the Romans seems obscure difficult and intricate is because learned men of later Times have too much followed the Authorities of men in former Ages who had examined S. Pauls doctrine according to the rule or Phrase of those Arts or Faculties with which they were best acquainted or else had measured his Controversie with the Jews by the Oppositions or Contentions of the Age wherein they lived Were this Partialitie unto some famous mens Authoritie which indeed is made a chief rule in expounding Scriptures even by many such as in words are most earnest to have Scriptures the only rule of Faith once laid aside and the rules of Faith else-where most perspicuously and plainly set down by S. Paul unpartially scan ned his Doctrine in that Epistle would be so perspicuous and easie unto the Learned as it might by them be made plain enough and unoffensive to the Unlearned For the light of Truth elsewhere delivered by this Lamp of the Gentiles might it be admitted as a Rule against some Expositions of that Epistle would direct mens steps to avoid those stumbling Blocks which many have fallen upon But to conclude this Assertion their Difficultie take them as they are is no just Exception against this Part of Scripture because it remains difficult stil even for this reason that it is held generally for difficult and is not made a rule indeed for our directions but other mens Opinions or Conjectures concerning it are taken for an Authentick Rubrick by whose level only we must aim at our Apostles Meaning from which we may not without imputations of Irregularitie swerve in the decision of Points to say no worse as now they are made hard and knottie 11 Thirdly from the diversitie of Capacities or different Measure of Gods Gifts in men of the same Profession we may safely conclude that the difficulty of the same Portion
Come and see a man that hath told me all things that ever I did is not he The Christ Upon their like experience fully consonant to the same common notion on conceit of the Messias did a many of that City conceive Faith from the womans report but moe because of his own words And they said unto the woman Now we believe not because of thy saying for we have heard him our selves and know that This is indeed The Christ the Saviour of the World From the like but more lively experience of his discovering secrets did his Disciples make that confession Now know we that thou knowest all things and needest not that any man should ask thee By this we believe that thou art come out from God 16 The manifestation of this Prophetical Spirit did give life unto his greatest miracles in working Faith for his Disciples believed in him after his resurrection because he had foretold his reedifying the Temple in three dayes space Which speech of his the foolish Jews not knowing His Body to be the true Temple wherein their God did dwell after a more excellent manner then between the Cherubins take as meant of the materiall Temple which had been fourty six yeers in building But saith Saint Iohn Assoon as he was risen from the dead his Disciples remembred that he thus said unto them and they believed the Scripture and the word which Iesus had said Nor did they compare these two together by chance for our Saviour often inculcated this Method as of purpose to imprint the former Oracle of Isaiab in their hearts To assure them of his going to his Father he expresly tels them Now I have spoken unto you before it come that when it is come to passe ye might believe Foretelling the persecution of his Disciples he addes These things have I told you that when the hour shall come ye might remember that I told you them That glory likewise which God had professed he would not give to any other he foretels should be given Him and so demands it as if He that did glorifie and He that was glorified were both One Father Glorifie thy Name Then came there a voice from heaven saying I have both glorified is and will glorifie it again How had he glorified it before By glorifying this great Prophet who did fully expresse but for exceed Moses in all things wherein Former Prophets did resemble him but came far short of him When was he so glorified At his transfiguration upon Mount Tabot which none without Sacrilegious impiety could have foretold as likely to befall him self save he alone that had not as Moses onely seen the Similitude of the Lord but being in the Forme of God thought it no robbery to be Equal with him Yet this Prophet of whom we speak though like to his Brethren in shape and substance to assure them he should come in the Glory of his Father foretells his Disciples that some of them should not die untill they had seen the Kingdom of God come with Power which was accomplished in that Transfiguration where as Saint Peter witnesseth He received of God the Father honour and glory when there came such a voyce unto him from the excedent glory This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased Yea so well pleased as for his sake the world might henceforth know how ready he was to hear all that through faith in his Name should call upon him even such as had displeased him most For this cause the Codicil annexed to the divine Will and Testament here signified immediately after to be sealed with the bloud of this Best Beloved Son was that reciprocal duty before intimated in the Law Hear Him as is specified by three Evangelists For more publick manifestation of his Majesty as then revealed but to a few was that glorious commemoration of it lately mentioned celebrated again in the audience of the multitude This voice saith our Saviour came not because of me but for your sakes And in that place again after his wonted predictions of things should after come to passe as of his victory over death he testifies aloud to all the people that he was the great Prophet foretold by Moses sweetly paraphrasing upon his words And Jesus tried and said He that believeth in me believeth not in me but in him that sent me And if any man hear my words and believe not I judge him not for I came not to judge the world but to save the world He did not accurse such as would not acknowledge his authority or derogated from his person or miracles nor needed he so to do for he that refuseth him and receiveth not his words hath one that judgeth him the word which he had spoken it shall judge him in the last day This was that which Moses had said And whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he the great Prophet shall speak in my Name I will require it of him to wit in the last day of accompts For I have not spoken of my self but the Father which sent me he gave me a commandement what I should do and what I should speak And I know that his commandement is life everlasting the things therefore that I speak I speak them so as the Father said unto me What is this but that speech of Moses improved to it Full Value according to the circumstances and signes of those times and as it concerned the Lord and Prince of Prophets I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren like unto thee and will put my words in his mouth and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him 17 This being the last conference our Saviour was willing to entertain with the Jews this his last farewell given in Moses words warrants me to construe that speech of Saint Iohns though he had done so many miracles before them yet believed they not on him as I have done the like before to wit That not his miracles considered alone but with Mosaical and Prophetical writings or common notions of the Messias thence conceived or especially as they concurred with his own predictions did immediately condemn the Jews Under the name of works his words are comprehended such at the least as foretell his admirable works or in generall all those solemn invocations of his Fathers name in such predictions as had he not been the Son of God would rather have brought speedy vengeance from heaven upon his head then such glorious testimonies of his Divinity And to me our Saviour seems to call his very words works in that speech to philip Believest thou not that I am in the Father and the Father in me the words that I speak unto you I speak not of my self but the Father that dwelleth in me he doth the works Howsoever as all the works of God were created by this Eternall Word so