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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A75849	Satans stratagems, or The Devils cabinet-councel discovered whereby he endevors [sic] to hinder the knowledg of the truth ... wherein is laid open an easie way to end controversies in matters of conscience ... together with arguments to each book ... / by Jacobus Acontius ... ; as also the testimonies of some ancient divines, together with an epistle written by Mr John Goodwin ; and Mr. Duries letter touching the same.	Aconcio, Iacopo, d. 1566.; Goodwin, John, 1594?-1665.; Dury, John, 1596-1680.	1648 (1648)	Wing A443A; ESTC R42404	127,449	159

terms who was sent to curse and yet in conclusion blessed altogether Numb 24.10 It is hard to say whether that hand which desires to be lifted up against Error and Heresie with success had more need of softness or strength Few mens Errors finde access to their judgments but by the way of their affections He that will the Judgment win With th' Affections must begin Nor will it be easie for men to come at them to dethrone them but by making their approaches the same way I mean by making friends of their affections that they may not side with their Judgments against them I have not met with any Author comparable to this now in thine hand for a Christian genius and dexterity in teaching that desireable and happy Art as well of composing differences in matters of Judgment as far as a composure in this kinde may with the honor of Truth be admitted as of opposing that which is not meet to be admitted to composition He intituleth his Book Stratagemata Sathanae Satans Stratagems He might as properly with respect to the matter of it have stiled it Stratagemata Christi the Stratagems of Christ inasmuch as the wisdom which is revealed from Heaven for the countermining of Satan in his attempts upon the precious souls of men by errors and heresies is here drawn out in such happy directions and instructions for that purpose that had they their weight and worth in practise and due obedience the Kingdom of Error and Heresie would soon be shaken If any man listed in this warfare being of Iehu's complexion cannot endure to march against his Enemy with a sober pace and had rather be tossing Firebals of Granado's then weilding the Sword of the Spirit this Author is like to find smal thanks from such a person ten to one but he wil * Ier. 8.18 smite him with the tongue To such an one I would make no other Answer but that of the man that had been healed of blindness to the Pharisees concerning our Lord Whether he be a sinner or no I know not one thing I know that whereas I was blind now I see Whereas I was ignorant in many things which it concerned me to know about opposing Errors and Heresies I now understand them Reader though I am none of those that are facile * Prov. 6.22 26. to strike hands or become surety for debt yet thus far I dare engage for the Treatise in thy hand that if thou wilt diligently peruse it it shal recompence thee with a better thing then Repentance for thy pains The Father of lights and God of Truth according to the unsearchable riches of his Grace in Christ break up at last all the fountains of the great deep of Truth and open the windows of Heaven that knowledg may fil the Earth as waters cover the Sea keep thee and me from the danger and defilement of Error and Heresie and vouchsafe us the honor of being instruments in his hand for the preservation of others also from the same misery Thine to serve thee in the Faith and Love of Jesus Christ J. GOODVVIN From my Study Colemanstreet LONDON Feb. 9. 1647. The Testimonies of the famously learned Petrus Ramus a French Protestant Martyr slain in the Massacre of Paris for the witness of Iesus and of Mr Comm●nius a learned and godly German Writer now livi●g and of great fame for his labors in the Reformation of Learning concern●ng the Worth of our AUTHOR THe name of Jacobus Acontius hath now of a long time been fameously known to the world by the excellent Monuments of his Wit I took great content to hear tel of the Humanity and Grace together with the various and profound Arts of Jacobus Acontius P. Ramus in an Epistle to our Author being in England which is extant in a Collection of Epistles and Orations of P. Ramus Aud. Talaeus in 8o. Scripturientis nostri aevi cacoethe offensus Jacobus Acontius Vir excellentissimus provideri posse optabat c. that is Jacobus Acontius a most excellent man offended at the scribling sickness of our Age wished that order might be taken c. Johan And Commenius in the Preface to his Idea or Epitomie of Nat. Philosophy at the beginning The Testimony of certain most eminent French Divines concerning this Treatise WIth the reading of Acontius his Book of the Stratage●s of Satan I was not only my self exceedingly refreshed but having commended the same to the reading of some of our Divines of greatest Reputation and Learning they exceedingly approved both the modesty of the language and the Prudence of the Discourse it self I am possessed with an earnest longing to know and peruse all Acontius his writings Pet. Ramus in Epistola ante citatâ A Letter of the learned and judicious Mr DURY one of the Assembly of Ministers to Mr SAMUEL HARTLIB touching the Author Dear Friend I Am heartily glad that some body hath taken the pains to translate into English Acontii Stratagemata in these times of strife and confusion The Author was an excellent man and throughly knowing in many Sciences his excellency did lie in the depth and solidity of his Judgment in every thing and in the Piety and Moderation of his spirit in Matters of Religion At the breaking forth of the Gospel when he did live many that were convicted of the errors of the Church of Rome were staggered at the Truth and the profession thereof by the Reformed Churches because of the manifold disputes and the disorders found amongst them and ever since continued by the subtilty of Satan who not being able to hinder the breaking in of more light doth endevor to make it either ineffectual or hurtful to the salvation of mens souls As it was then so it is now at every Period of our Reformation he doth make every Truth a Matter of Strife and what he cannot suppress by the power of ignorance he endevors to pervert by the evil use that men make of knowledg to disappoint them of the end for which God hath given it This wise man in his time did discover Satans aym and warned his Generation faithfully and chiefly the Watchmen of the grand adversaries design against them But how much this Admonition is laid to heart doth appear by the Distempers of all places whereof both the Causes and Remedies are here discovered and offered to the Churches but minded almost by none However some there are at all times wil be who wil be affected herewith and God is able by their means to qualifie the spirits of others and to cast Satan under the feet of his Elect and Faithful servants in his own time Therefore it is very useful that such Testimonies as these should be extant and now to us they are very seasonable although perhaps in haste we shal see no great fruit thereof But our comfort is that although the Kingdom of Heaven is as a grain of mustard seed yet it groweth at last to be a mighty

be conversant in before we begin a dispute to the end we may neither our selves be moved nor move our adversary to passion A mans nobility Wealth Authority Reputations are the weapons wherewith Satan fights against him The grand combate in all disputes is with Satan The main quarrel is not so much the point in question as the Peace and Tranquillity and safety of the Church of Christ A disputant must take heed of being too wise in his own eyes No vice so hardly rooted out of a mans spirit as Arrogance A medicine against arrogance The top of humane wisdom to suspect a mans own wisdom and seek Counsel We cannot dispute with any person so despicable but look how much we think our selves wiser then him by so much he takes himself to be wiser then Vs The use of this Observation LIB II. IN the former book we have discoursed concerning unprofitable questions how they may be distinguished from profitable ones and how they ought to be avoided it follows now that we should declare what may befit a godly man to do if it shal appear that the business in Controversie be a matter of great weight And here doubtless if thou wilt give eare to Satan he wil endeavour to advance his designs exceedingly by thy means So that some error shall not be extirpated but spread abroad far and neer yea and become as it were the seed of many other errors so that contentions discords variance sects devastations and mighty hurliburlies shall thence arise and to the end he wil labour might and main that no moderate circumspect grave counsel may take place but that all things be transacted rashly without advice confusedly What now shal a Christian and prudent spirit do in this case Shal he think of obeying Satan and furthering his counsels Wil he make him his Counsellor and Captain Wil he not rather with all diligence of mind provide that all things be managed with the greatest discretion possible So that not a word as neer as may be shal pass which is not exactly fitted by reason and polished Wil he not weigh with himself again and again what is needful to be done Here here indeed is need of prudence resist the beginnings whiles the flame is yet smal if thou shalt let it alone a little while and give fuel to it likewise who shal be able to quench the Fire These things I say are to be foreseen in time If thou shalt hear any impious Doctrine what thinkest thou wil the speech of Satan be in thy heart He wil try peradventure if he can bring the Error in credit with thee also but if he find the doors shut on this side and shal thee another way O abominable wickedness wil he say O this fellow deserves that the Earth should open its mouth and swallow him up quick that durst once speak such abhominable words t is pity he were not burnt with fire from Heaven The basest and wickedest fellow that ever the Earth bare Is it possible that any man should so much as once think of such things much less account them true If thou give way to such thoughts as these what canst thou do or say which wil not occasion a thousand mischiefs Perswade thy self that the Spirit of God is not author of such councels but Satan Such thoughts are not fit to take away the evil but to increase it more and more and render it uncapable of all cure Somewhat else there is to be done to remedy this evil And first how knowest thou but that this man haply what ever he may seem to be is one of Gods elect whom God indeed hath suffered to fall out of some secret but most wise and loving purpose of his own that he may raise him again with much more glory whom did'st thou but know to be such an one could'st thou entertain any inhumane thoughts against him who is ordained to the possession of the glory of the Elect and to be an inheritor of the Kingdom of Heaven against thy brother against a member of Christ against a servant yea and a son of God But thou wilt say by this reason the Magistrate must suffer theeves robbers cut-throats and other criminal offenders for as much as all such may be of the number of the elect such as may in time be reclaimed I answer a godly and wise Magistrate when he punishes such like offenders he doth it not to satisfie his own hatred but executes that office whereunto he is called of God knowing that he is bound to obey Gods revealed wil whatever his own reason may notwithstanding prompt him unto Even as Abraham was ready at Gods command to offer his most beloved and most innocent son Isaac And in the mean time he omits no office of humanity towards such as are to be put to death But thou wilt say further Can the ears then o● that man which loves God hear accursed speeches against God and be no more moved then if they nothing concerned him I answer and grant that a man ought to be moved and vehemently moved in such a case but would not allow that motion to be a rash head-long zeal but a zeal guided by the most accurate reason not of Satans but of the Spirit of Gods begetting If thou hadst a brother or a son rather whom thou exceedingly lovedst thou couldst not see him catch a dangerous fall but especially in case he were therewith grievously wounded thou wouldst be much moved but with what kind of motion or affection So as to inveigh against him with harsh language to overwhelm him with revilings and reproaches Yea rather thou wouldst run to him and raise him up as gingerly as thou canst Thou wouldst bid him be of good cheer and leave nothing undone which might free him from or at least mitigate his pain Thou wouldst spare no pains and watch with him whole nights together And in case the anguish of his wound shal make him froward thou wilt nevertheless remit nothing of thy great tenderness over him Such would I have the motion of thy mind to be to be grieved at the fall of thy brother to be grieved that God is offended to be grieved for their sakes whom he hath mis-taught so a that they are in danger to lose their salvation But let the effects of thy griefs be that thou endeavor with all thy might either wholy to remove or to lessen the evil and that thou take heed again and again as in a business wherein thou canst not err without great danger that thou neither do or speak any thing which may increase the same nor of which thou canst not foresee some certain hope of profit and that thou wilt so order thy self that in case thou shalt at any time observe that what thou didst to a good end had a bad issue thou wilt be content with the hazard of thy reputation to correct thine Error Furthermore three things seem to require our consideration what course

case Now in the first place this ought to be layd down for a sure rule that if we shal depart from the Divine Oracles contained in the holy Scriptures there is nothing whereto we may safely trust there is nothing but what is liable either to fraud or Error Gods Testimonies are only sure they only are of that worth that the Conscience of a man may rest upon them and quiet it self And doubtless if there shal be such a Cuntroversy about any point of Religion as that some shal say it is a point so necessary to be resolved about and to know the Truth of as that he which shal not understand and close with it cannot be saved possibly others though they are of the same judgment for the point it self shal yet deny that it is of such weight and rather conceive that such as judg amiss thereabout may attain salvation and ought notwithstanding to be reputed members of the Church In case I say such a Controversie arise when both sides cannot be said to judg according to Truth the one or other must of necessity err Wherefore to be certainly informed which part thinks aright wil be to know some what even as to be at a stand and doubt herein wil be to be ignorant of somewhat whence it must be concluded that we cannot come to certain knowledg in this point unless there be some word of God extant to guide us Now we must be sure to mark in this place that a point of Religion and the judgment which is made concerning the weight and consequence of that point are very different things As it is one thing to say A Christian ought not to be Circumcised another thing to say if ye be Circumcised Christ shal profit you nothing For he which had heard how that a Christian must not be Circumcised might yet think that though a Christian should not be Circumcised yet if a man iudg that he ought to be Circumcised it were not much material But having heard that other word If you be Circumcised Christ shal profit you nothing he wil now understand the matter to be of fargreater importance And inasmuch as a Doctrine is one thing and the iudgment and estimation of the weight of that Doctrine is another if it shal be put to the question concerning any Tenet whether or no it be a point which ought of necessity to be known as for example that it is lawful to swear before the Judg it wil be nothing to the purpose for a man to bring many Texts to prove that an oath in point of judicature ought not to be refused for it wil be said by one or other that I grant neither do I any ways make scruple thereof but I would be resolved concerning the weight of the thing whether it be a matter of such consequence as that in case any man shal be perswaded that he ought not in any case to swear and shal remain in that Error there is no hope of his salvation So that such proofs are in this case requisite not which evince that a man ought to swear before the Bench for that is not the thing in question but which prove that he which is perswaded he ought not to swear shal be damned such as there is concerning the not retaining of Circumcision Now a point is then to be accounted proved by divine Testimony when the Testimony or Text cannot be true unless the point in question be true which may come to pass both when the Text shal contain the very thing which it is brought to prove as also when it shal lay down that which being granted the other must of necessity follow as for example we are to prove that a man is accounted just by beleeving and not by the works of the Law we alledg the words of Paul We judg therefore that by faith a man is iustified without the works of the Law This Testimony expresses the very thing which we would prove But suppose it were to be proved that a man is iustified only by faith and one did thus reason Unless there were only one way of Justification and that by Faith the Apostle had foolishly inferred that forasmuch as the iust should live by faith and that works were not faith therefore no man living is just by the works of the Law but it cannot without great wickedness be charged upon the Apostle that he reasoned foolishly there is therefore righteousness in faith alone and so a man is justified only by faith Now this Testimony of Scripture cannot be said to contain that which it is brought to prove but yet it affirms such things as being granted the point in question must needs follow But if so be that which is brought as a Testimony may be true while the thing it is brought to prove may be false that thing cannot be said to be proved by such a Testimony so that if a man to shew that the Pope hath Authority to make new Laws wherewith to bind the Consciences of men shal cite that place what ever thou shalt bind on earth shal be bound in heaven it wil be therefore denyed that that place proves the point in question because power of binding might be given to Peter and yet no power be given to the Pope to make new Laws Now a thing may be expressed either by comprehension under general terms or word for word for when as the general term Law comprehends as wel those Laws concerning Conversation as those concerning religious Ceremonies as wel Divine Laws as Humane that Christ shal not profit him who shal place his Righteousness in keeping the moral Law is in general terms comprehended in that speech of the Apostle where he denys that they have any share in Christ who place their Righteousness in the works of the Law And that a man is justified by Faith is in so many words comprehended in that passage of the same Apostle We iudg therefore that a man is iustified by Faith without the works of the Law Furthermore as concerning our present occasion I find that one thing may follow from another two manner of ways One is when a matter is laid down as necessary to be known which cannot yet be understood and believed unless some other thing shal be first understood and believed for in such a case the latter is to be reckoned among such things as are of necessity to be known Thus inasmuch as it is necessary that we believe that Christ is rifen from the dead and we cannot believe that unless we shal likewise believe that he died it is altogether necessary that we believe he died The other way is this if we find expresly set down that a matter more doubtful then the point in question whether it ought of necessity to be known is to be known necessarily yea if it be notless doubtful for that which is less doubtful or at least not more doubtful must be as necessary as the other But some

which were agreeable to the words indeed but far from the scope and purpose of that Text. In l●ke sort those words of Solomon need an exposi●ion The condition of man and beast is the same as these did so do they both die alike neither is a man better then a beast Now the exposition to be understood is that thus it is not absolutely but for ought which a mans reason can observe to difference them Which exposition being excluded he that shall press the words of Solomon shall pluck up all Religion by the roots Those add unto the true sentence of Scripture who say That those shall obtain eternal life who believe that their sins are forgiven for Christs sake provided they shall recount all their sins unto the Priest and obtain absolution from him He changes somewhat of the true sentence who says That the Law is therefore holy because the knowledg thereof makes a man holy for it is not therefore holy but because it makes a man to despair of his own strength and brings him unto Christ the onely means of salvation and because it shews what things please or displease God to the end we may worship him not after our own inventions and constitutions but according to his command A third means whereby a false sentence is thrust into the doctrine of Religion appearing to be true onely instead of that which is true indeed is when from some true sentence a false one is by a wrong inference collected which collection shall be used in place of the true one from which it was drawn So when the Bishop of Rome hath gathered out of those words Whatsoever thou shalt binde on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatsoever shall be loosed by thee on earth shall be loosed in heaven this sentence That he hath power to make new laws and to constitute new heads of doctrine or as they call them new articles of Faith and to compel men to keep and observe the one and to believe the other This collection or inference of his he makes account of as of a sentence of Scripture Now there is a kinde of false inferences or collections very hidden and obscure forasmuch as they are partly drawn from suppositions which are neither expressed nor perhaps once thought of by the collectors yet are such collections admited without any question even as if they did arise out of most certain and clear grounds This may be seen in that collection we last named For that it may be infered That power to make laws was given to Peter it is requisite that the word binde should signifie to make laws For so you shall rightly collect to binde is to make laws power of binding is given to Peter and consequently of making laws In like maner you may collect to loose is to repeal laws now power to loose was given to Peter therefore power to abrogate laws was given to him And since it is said Whatsoever thou shalt bind and whatsoever thou shalt loose it will follow that Peter may make or revoke what laws he please yea the Ten commandmen●s he may abrogate if he think fit Again That all this may appear to belong to the Pope another supposition must be made viz. Whatsoever authority was given to Peter the same is given to the Roman Bishop since therefore Peter had authority giv●n him to make or abrogate what laws he please the same authority is given to the Roman Bishop But this conclusion is infered without any mention of those suppositions That to binde and to loose is to make and revoke laws and that Whatever authority was given to Peter is given to the Bishop of Rome Neither is every man able to mark in the making of such collections what that is which is omited and passed over with silence as out of all question true though it be indeed as false as false may be Furthermore easie it is for any to understand That the obscurity of sentences or doctrines of Religion is a cause that if any mutation be made it cannot easily be discerned Now the obscurity of Christian doctrine springs from these grounds First because it handles the things of the spirit and therefore cannot be understood without the spirit which spirit being wanting though there be a great corruption of doctrine yet can it not be discerned Another ground is because being written in one tongue we are forced to learn it in another tongue into which it is not very aptly translated And although a man should give himself to study the Hebrew and Greek yet seeing they are not now used by any Nation but have their Being onely in Books he will never be able to lea●n them so perfectly but that the proper signification and various use of many words and phrases will be hid from his knowledg Howbeit this obscurity we speak of is not so great but that where some portion of the Spirit is present those things at least which are necessary to be known for salvation may easily be understood And so much for the causes of not discerning a change in doctrine which are in the doctrine it self we are now to handle such Causes as are in the maner of the change Now the manner of the change makes it undiscerned for as much as the change is made by little and little for if so be as we said before out of some great heap of grain every day some few grains should be taken and as many of another sort be put in the room of them who could be able to discover the mutation Who is able to discern how much it is that a boy grows daily or how much a man declines and waxes old Now the very self-same thing is to be seen in the mutation of doctrine for we shall have a man to day suppose who if he make no other change will at least invent some generall name for to call such things by as agree in nature or in some common reference or respect which name will be afterward applied to things very different and it shal by this means come to passe that the nature and notion of the former things will be obscured thus did they that first called the holy washing and the Supper of our Lord Sacraments What hurt could any one so much as suspect from so small a matter Howbeit in process of time there were those who supposing that any sacred and holy rite was intended by the terme Sacrament began to give that name to laying on of hands Marriage Penitence Confirmation Extreme Unction Whence it is come to passe that Baptisme and the Supper having a name common to them with other things of much different nature their true notion is rendred dark and obscure For there remained with the generall name a notion in like manner generall and common to those other things whereas the proper notion which ought ever to be kept in mind is forgotten Hence also it came to pass that as it was manifest that