their owne good that their daies might be multiplied and the daies of their children as the daies of Heaven upon the earth vers 21. So that it had been a prodigious thing in Israel to forbid the people the reading of Moses his writings and books when God commanded all the people without exception to write his Laws upon the posts of their doores and upon their gates to the end that all men of what ranke or quality soever they were might read them and square their lives according to them and yet the Church of Rome contrary unto Gods command forbids the people either to read or have the Scripture in their houses And in the 34. of Isaiah ver 16. Seeke ye out of the booke of the Lord and read c. The Prophet here addresseth his speech to all the people of the earth as is evident by the beginning of the chapter And in Malachi 4. vers 4. Remember ye saith the Prophet the Law of Moses my servant which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel with the Statutes and judgements Here likewise all the people are commanded and enjoyned to the reading and remembring of Moses Law Yea Kings themselves and Governours are commanded to read the Law and to governe themselves and the people committed to their charge according to the Law of God Deut. 17. ver 18 19. And it shall be when he sitteth upon the Throne of his Kingdome that he shall write him a copy of this Law in a booke out of that which is before the Priests and the Levites And it shall be with him and he shall read therein all the daies of his life that he may learne to feare the Lord his God and to keep all the words of his Law and these statutes to doe them that his heart be not lifted up above his brethren and that he turne not aside from the Commandement to the right hand or to the left to the end he may prolong his dayes in his Kingdome hee and his children in the middest of Jsrael Hâ—re we see the Kings themselves are as strictly commanded to keepe the Law of God as the meanest of the people And Josua 1. v. 7 8. Only be thou strong and very couragious that thou mayest observe to doe according to all the Law which Moses my servant commanded thee turne not from it to the right hand or to the left that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goâ—st This book of the Law shall not depart out of thy mouth but thou shalt meditate therein day and night that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous and then thou shall have good successe Josua was the Generall of their Army and yet hee is by an expresse command injoyned to reade and meditate in the holy Scriptures night and day and commanded not to turne to the right hand or to the left but to order his life and governe the people according to the same all the dayes of his life And Josua in the 23 Chap. vers 6. exhorts the people saying Be ye of a valiant courrage to observe and do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses that ye turne not there-from to the right hand or to the left He ties all the people to the written Law and commands universall and constant obedience unto it and promiseth them blessings from God if they shal obey and pronounceth judgements from God against them if they shall rebell and be disobedient and for the more animating of them to the duty of obedience he sets his own example before them Chap. 24. v. 15. with his resolution that hee and his house would serve the Lord if others would not and by that he teacheth every one their duty that if all the world would go from God yet every one of us is particularly bound to cleave unto him and the way to cleave unto the Lord is to follow the direction of his Law and continually to have it before our eyes and in our hearts according to Solomons counsell frequently set down My sonne saith he Pro. 3. vers 1. Forget not my Law but let thy heart keepe my Commandements for length of dayes and yeares of life and peace shall they adde unto thee Let not mercy and truth forsake thee binde them about thy necke write them upon the Table of thy heart So shalt thou finde favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man Solomon contents not himselfe only to teach all men their duty but withall shewes them the benefit that redoundeth and ariseth from it viz. All manner of blessing according to that of S. Paul the first of Timoth. chap. 4. vers 8. Godlinesse is profitable unto all things having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come And in the sixth Chap. vers 20. My sonne saith he keepe thy fathers commandement and forsake not the Law of thy mother That Law saith Solomon that God gave unto thy Father and to thy Mother and injoyned them in the sixt of Deut. and the 11. to teach unto their children that Law and Commandement keep thou and forsake it not yea binde them continually upon thine heart and tie them about thy neck When thou goest it shall leade thee when thou sleepest it shall keepe thee and when thou awakest it shall talke with thee for the Commandement is a Lampe and the Law is light and reproofes of instruction are the way of life Infinite places more might be alledged out of all the holy Scriptures of the old Testament where all the holy Prophets exhort the people to the studying meditating and reading of the Law and where they pronounce them blessed that delight and meditate in the Law night and day Psal 1. But now let us see what Christ and his Apostles taught us in the new Testament and what the practise of all the Saints and holy men of God was in those dayes Christ in John 5. v. 38. saith Search the Scriptures for in them yee thinke to have eternall life and they are they that testify of mee And in Luke 16. vers 29.30 in the person of Abraham hee sends all that deâ—â—re salvation and to be freed from the torments of Diâ—eâ— to Moses and the Prophets and bids them heare them And tells them farther 〈◊〉 if â—â—y will not heare Moses and the Prophets though one should arise from the dead they would not be perswaded no miracles will be so prevalent and available either to instruct them or deterre them from their sinfull courses as Moses and the Prophets and therefore the Lord Jesus the Prophet of his Church ties them to the written Word And in both these places our Saviour speaketh unto all the people and not unto the Doctors and Teachers onely And S. Paul the Doctor of the Gentiles writing to the Colossians and in them to all Christians as S. Peter in his second Epistle confirmeth
promise But that all things may be without confusion and perturbation which cannot so well be avoyded in disputations and conferences I shall orderly and methodically set down what passed between us in our disputation and I will neither adde nor detract from the substance in any thing yea as neere as I can I will keepe the very expressions so that the Gentlemen that were there present when they see it may behold my faire dealing and faithfulnesse in relating every thing Which that I might the better doe I leaned not to my owne memory but made use of their notes that tooke our discourse and have reduced the whole dispute into that order that will make it easie to be understood and as I hope I shall dilucidatly prove the Church of England to be a true Church so also that the Scriptures of the old and new Testament containe all things in them sufficient and necessary for our salvation and that they are the onely and infallible rule to which all Christians are tyed to the end of the world and from which they are not to swerve or decline either to the right hand or to the left but are bound to make it and it onely the absolute rule for the regulating of their faith and the ordering of their manners The which two last propositions were accidentally started partly in examining the proofes and by your evasions and partly by reason of the Gentlemen that were standers by whom you Master Mountague and my selfe are beholding to for their faire carriage towards us both whom I could not but with honour mention not onely for their civility but indeed Christian behaviour But before I set downe my arguments for the proofe of the first question I shall crave leave to bring to your memory wherein I declared my selfe before them all that I agreed with you which was in this point that the ordinary way in Gods providence for the conversion and saving of men was the Church where the Gospell is preached which is the power of God to salvation Rom. 1. ver 14. according to that of Saint Paul the first Epistle to Timothy chap. 3. vers 14 15. These things I write unto thee hoping to come unto thee shortly but if I tarry longer that thou mayst know how thou oughtest to behave thy selfe in the house of God which is the Church of the living God the pillar and ground of truth In this verse the Apostle in an elegant metaphor compares Gods dealing in making knowne his will and pleasure unto his people and children to the customes of Kings and Princes who in publishing their minds and pleasures to their servants and subjects cause their Proclamations to be set up upon pillars in their houses and before their Palaces and in the Cities and Townes through their Dominions after they have proclaimed them by their Officers appointed to that purpose whether their people may have recourse to know their Royall pleasure And to this custome I say of the Potentates and Monarchs of the earth doth Paul allude in this his expression comparing the Church unto a pillar because in the Church the Lord Jesus the King of Saints and King of Kings doth declare his will and pleasure to his people what he would have them to doe and what he would have them leave undone what they should believe and what they should practice in the performance of all which they may assure themselves of his protection here and of full deliverance from all their enemies and of eternall felicity hereafter So that all those that desire to be saved and to know the true way to Heaven they ought to addresse themselves to the true Church which is the house of God the pillar and ground of truth Now that the Church of England is a true Church and the ground and pillar of truth is that Master Montague you deny and which is my taske to prove Which if I can evince you are bound by your promise to embrace it and to relinquish the Church of Rome But before I begin I thought good to mind you of this that it was your desire I should reduce all this discourse into order and send it to you and you promised me faithfully to answer it You may remember also that you left it arbitrary what Translation I should use either ours or the Rhemists for it was all one to me as I told you and you signified to me in the presence of them all that it was indifferent to you I have therefore made use of our owne because the Translation is best knowne to the people and the other hard to come by and also because many of the learnedâ—â— Papists that have read our last Translation have confest that it commeth farre nigher the originall than any of the former But if you shall hereafter except against it there shall be no difference about that in the handling of the controversie between us for I will then make use of yours But now I come to my argument which is this That Church that teacheth the way the truth and the life against which the gates of hell can never prevaile that is a true Church the house of God the Church of the living God the ground and pillar of truth in which salvation may be found But the Church of England is a Church that teacheth the way the truth and the life against which the gates of hell can never prevaile Ergo the Church of England is a true Church the ground and pillar of truth in which salvation may be found For answer to which you first made your apology that if I meant to proceed in a Syllogisticall way that you were no Schollâ—r To which I replying told you that I knew very well that you were a Scholler and that this way of disputing was the best means of finding out of truth and that I would leave my argument with you and not onely for you but for whomsoever you pleased to assist and help you To which you answered that it was fairly said and that it was a faire and syllogisticall way Notwithstanding you would reject your owne capacity to answer in such a way reiterating your former expression saying that you were no Scholler no Logitian no Philosopher But said you to justifie my selfe to these Gentlemen here I am content to answer to your syllogisme Then I told you that you must deny one of the propositions the major or the minor To which you answered I deny the minor it stands you upon to prove it Here I cite the words verbatim as I find them written by the Scribes But Master Montague before I come to the proofe of my minor give me leave to speake my opinion of you for I desire to traduce no man nor minorise the worth of any man I conceive that you are every way as learned and accomplished for all knowledge in your religion as any of that fraternity as well for your naturall abilities and endowments of wit and understanding
and all rabid cruelty and unheard of inhumanity and in that also the Church of Rome corrupteth yea annihilateth all the offices of Jesus Christ retayning onely his name but adulterating all true christian Religion and by consequence destroying the very humane nature of Jesus Christ making it present in many places at one and the same time and yet not visible a body and no body I say in all these respects a man may without any wrong done to the Church of Rome conclude that shee is no true Church nor the ground and pillar of Truth But to the end Mr. Montague that neither you or any other may think I do too highly prayse the Church of England for the purity of her Doctrine and worship and honouring of Christ or calumniate the Church of Rome when I charge her with all these things of adulterating all the true Christian Religion and annihilating all the offices of Jesus Christ c. I thought it very necessary here to parallell the Doctrine of the Church of England and that of the Church of Rome together that it may the more evidently appeare unto all men under one view as it were in a Table which of the two Churches believeth best concerning Christ his natures and offices and whether of these Religions is most sound and Orthodox touching all things necessary to be knowne and practised by all such as desire salvation by Jesus Christ And to begin with Christs Kingly office The Church of England believeth that Jesus Christ is the onely and sole King and governour of the whole Universe to whom all power in Heaven and Earth is given Mat. 28. but more especially of his Church who by God himselfe was set King over his holy mountaine Psal 2. v. 6. And that he is the King of Righteousnesse Heb. 7. The King eternall Jsa 9. The King of Kings and Lord of Lords Apoc. 17. and that he doth by his mighty power and wisdom uphold and governe all things but with a more peculiar care and in a more speciall manner preserve and defend his Church 1 Tim. 4. v. 10. as that which he hath purchased with his precious blood and by his power redeemed out of the captivity and slavery of Satan and that he is the head of his Church which is his body who infuseth life into it Righteousnesse Peace Joy Happinesse and all the graces of Wisdome and knowledge of God with certainty and assurance of his love and that his Kingdom and Empire is a spirituall and heavenly Kingdome no terrene and fading Monarchy John 18. vers 38. Luke 1. v. 33. And is uphold and governed onely by the scepter of his spirit and word and not by the authority virtue or wisdome of any humane power Shee also believeth that they are the impious and blasphemous inventions of frothy and windy ambition to affirme that Christ appointed any one to be a Vicar and Governour under him over his Church who by an infallible and unerring spirit should moderate and rule it to the end of the World and to assert that Peter was this monarch and Vicar generall and that the Pope is his successor the head and foundation of the Kingdome of Jesus Christ all these assertions and blasphemous titles the Church of England abominateth as derogatory to the honour and dignity of their Lord and King Jesus Christ and injurious and hurtfull to the salvation of mankind Shee also believeth that the Church of Christ which is his Spouse is onely to be governed and ordered by Christ her head and husbands command Will Word and Lawes as they are set downe in his holy Word and not by the decrees determinations authority and traditions either of Councels or Fathers no farther than they are consonant to his Lawes and blessed Word as they are written and set downe in the Bookes of the old and new Testament Shee believeth also that the pure Preaching of the Gospel and the right administration of the holy Sacraments and the true invocation of God are the infallible ensignes of a true Church and the never deceiving markes and notes of the same Withall shee believeth that such is the condition of the Church militant that by reason of persecutions and bloudy Tyranny and the cruelty of the enemies of it she may be brought to so low a condition and be so obscure that shee may be without any visible forme splendor and outward government and lie hid not only from publike view or the eyes of the common people but even from the sight of the dearest servants of God themselves as it hapned not onely in Elias his time but in many ages besides as the holy Scripture abundantly declareth and that the Church doth not alwaies come with observation as our Saviour said of the Kingdom of God in his time that it came not with appearance and magnificence And therefore the Church of England doth not believe that pompe state and outward worldly dignity and riches miracles multitude and grandeur are the markes and notes of a true Church but rather the very characters of the whore of Babylon who sitteth as Queen And this is the beliefe of the Church of England concerning the Kingly Office of Christ and his Kingdome the Church Now Mr. Montague let us see what the Church of Rome believes concerning Christs Kingly Office and Kingdome that both our tenents and beliefes being set downe together it may the better appeare which of our faiths is most orthodox and which of our Churches doth most glorifie and honour Christ their King and magnifie his Kingly dignity and absolute soveraignty The Church of Rome doth in words acknowledge that Christ is the King of his Church but in their workes and deeds they deny it For they make him a terrene Monarch and his Kingdome to be of this world neither doe they admit and allow him to be the sole alone and onely King of his Church but they joyne a Vicar with him and divide the care of governing his Kingdome between him and his Vicar-generall the Pope who they assert to be of an infallible and un-erring spirit and proclaime him to be King of Kings and Lord of Lords the foundation and head of the Church and Lord of all the Kingdomes of the earth that he may dispose of them as he pleaseth and give them to whom he lusteth and take them from any that hath not a desire to humour him all which are titles of blasphemy and unsufferable indignity to the King of Saints and King of Kings the Lord Jesus Christ The Church of Rome believeth and holdeth also that the Kingdome of Christ which is his Church ought to be governed not onely by the Lawes and Word of Christ but by the determinations and decrees of Fathers Councels and Synods and by the Popes Canons and the vaine and impious traditions of men which they doe not onely equalize but preferre before the holy Scriptures They also affirme that the markes and notes of Christs Kingdome are multitudes
should be a rule of our faith and manners and that it is the very Word of God and his lively Oracles as having the testimony of Christ himselfe Luke 24 Luke 16. John 5. and many other places and Saint Paul Rom. 3. and Saint Peter in his second Epistle chap. 3. v. 15 16. confirmes the authenticality of St. Pauls Epistles and of all the holy Scriptures and affirmes that they were written for the comfort and benefit of all the faithfull and commands them to make them the rule and guide of their faith and manners which if they doe he promiseth them that they shall not be led away by the errour of the wicked and from their owne stedfaâ—â—nesse but that they shall grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus which is his prayer that they might do and it is and shall be my earnest prayer for you also Mr. Montague that the Lord would open your eyes and that you may see your errours and renounce them and at last believe that the holy Scriptures are Gods very Word and were writ by his speciall command and are to be the rule of our fath and manners and by the which we shall be judged at the last day And this shall suffice to have spoke concerning this point Now I come to prove that the holy Scriptures are not obscure and darke but cleare and perspicuous in all things that concerne salvation David in the 19. Psal ver 7 8. The Law of the Lord saith he is perfect converting the soule The testimony of the Lord is sure making wise the simple The Statutes of the Lord are right rejoycing the heart the Commandement of the Lord is pure enlightning the eyes Here are two things Master Montague confirmed by David who wrote by the Spirit of God which cannot erre the first is that the Law of the Lord is perfect and converting the soule and making wise the simple the second that it is cleare illuminating the eyes What Blasphemy then is it in the Church of Rome to accuse the whole Scripture not onely of imperfection but of darknesse and obscurity Yea what else is it but to give the Holy Ghost the lie who saith that the holy Scripture is not onely perfect but illuminating and enlightning the eyes And in Psalm 119. v. 103. Thy Word saith he is a Lampe unto my feet and a light to my waies And in the 130 verse The entrance of thy Word saith he giveth light it giveth understanding to the simple So that there are none Master Montague that will not turne their backe upon this Lampe but may see the light of it And in Proverb 1. ver 2 3 4 5. among the praises of the holy Word he saith That it giveth subtilty to the simple and to the young man knowledge and discretion And in the 6. chap. ver 23. he saith That the Commandement is a Lampe and the Law is light And in chap. 8. ver 8 9. All the words of my mouth saith he are in righteousnesse c. they are all plaine to him that understandeth and right to them that find knowledge Infinite places to this purpose might be cited but I will content my selfe onely with two more out of the New Testament 2 Cor. 4. v. 3 4. If our Gospell saith the Apostle be hid it is hid to them that are lost to whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not lest the light of the glorious Gospell of Christ who is the image of God should shine into them Take notice Mr. Montague that as the Sunne though it shineth forth never so gloriously and in all its greatest brightnesse yet the blind see never the more in like manner though the holy Scripture be never so cleare and perspicuous in all things necessary to salvation yet the unbelievers and incredulous whose eyes the God of this world hath blinded they can neither see nor comprehend the light of them St. Peter in his second Epistle chap. 1. v. 19. We have also saith he a more sure word of Prophesie whereunto you doe well that ye take heed as unto a light that shineth in a darke place untill the day dawne and the Day-starre arise in your hearts If the holy Apostle Peter compares the writings of the Old Testament to a light and the Scripture of the New Testament unto the Day-starre what wickednesse then is it Mr. Montague in the Church of Rome to accuse all the holy Scriptures of obscurity and darknesse and to make them the cause of all errours and heresies and of all confusions I will now Mr. Montague briefly prove that the people ought to read the holy Scriptures and that it is their duty to study them diligently and that it is a great and insufferable injury and wrong done to them by the Church of Rome to take the Scriptures out of their hands and to prohibite the reading of them for in that they like the Scribes Pharisees and Lawyers take away from them the Key of knowledge and the meanes of their salvation Luke 11. v. 52. contrary to the command of God and Christs precept who was the onely Prophet of his Church whom we are bound to heare and obey in all things Matth. 3. Matth. 17. This Master Montague I will first doe and then come to the point The Lord after that he had proclaimed his Law unto the people and writ it with his owne hand commanded all the people carefully to observe to doe according to that he had taught them and that they might the better remember it he enjoynes them to keepe it in their hearts and to write it upon the Posts of their houses and on their gates the words are these Deut. 6. ver 6 7 8 9 All these words which I command thee this day shall be in thine heart and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children and shalt talke of them when thou sittest in thy house and when thou walkest by the way and when thou liest down and when thou risest up And thou shalt bind them for a signe upon thy hand and they shall be for frontlets between thine eyes And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thine house and on the gates And in the 11. chapter of the same booke he reiterates the same command vers 18 19 20. Therefore saith the Lord shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soule and bind them for a signe upon your hand that they may be as frontlets between your eyes And ye shall teach them your children speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house and when thou walkest by the way when thou liest downe and when thou risest up and thou shalt write them upon the doore posts of thine house and upon thy gates Here is precept upon precept as if the Lord could never have spoke enough unto the people to stir them up to the diligent learning and studying of his holy Lawes and all for