Selected quad for the lemma: father_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A65538
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An earnest and compassionate suit for forbearance to the late learned writers of some controversies at present / by a melancholly stander-by.
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Wettenhall, Edward, 1636-1713.
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1691
(1691)
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Wing W1494; ESTC R14825
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6,885
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New Attempts still in the Issue not satisfying the Old Difficulties men look upon them to be what well they may unsatisfiable or insoluble and impute not this to the Depth of the Mystery but to the Absurdities of the Hypothesis which by the same means becomes still more involv'd And Lastly Hereby our Church at present is and the Common Christianity it may be feared will be more and more daily exposed to Atheistical Men for this being but the Result of the former particulars and such kind of men daily growing upon us it cannot be believed they can overlook the Advantage which is so often given them On these accounts as well as others this Controversie 2 dly is the most dangerous as well as unreasonable The Danger hereof is especially hence evident in that the Doctrin of the Blessed Trinity or of the Father Son and Holy Ghost in whose Names we and all Christians are or ought to have been baptized is esteemed as it is if duly stated one of the Fundamentals of Christian Religion Now to litigate touching a Fundamental is to turn it into a Controversie that is to unsettle at least endanger the unsettling the whole Superstructure And to add no more Arguments I say finally That as indeed all Controversies amongst Protestants are most unseasonable in such a Juncture wherein under God nothing but an Union of Counsels and joyning Hands and Hearts can preserve the Reformation and scarce any thing more credit and justifie it than an Union in Doctrinals so above all other Controversies none can well be thought of worse timed than this What Reproach does it bring upon us and what Sport does it create our Roman Adversaries that the Protestants of England are now disputing the Doctrin of the Trinity Their Divisions say they can never stop 'T is no wonder they quarrel touching their King they are now divided touching their GOD. But it will be said What shall we do Shall we tamely by a base silence give up the Point I answer There is no danger of it The Establish'd Church is in possession of it and Dispute will only encrease the Disturbance The Adversaries to the received Doctrin cannot Alter our Articles of Religion but they can Dispute everlastingly They are men subtile sober industrious many of them very virtuous and as all must say setting aside this Opinion Devout Pious and Charitable They have a Zeal too no less ardent than that of Church-men And Presses at home or abroad are and ever will be open so that they will never be silent An Answer will only breed a Reply that a Rejoinder that a Triplication and so in infinitum I say then as before neglect them till a fit Time and Place and then let that be done which shall be judged most Christian and most wholesom And to prepare a Way towards the laying to an Eternal Sleep this and such-like Controversies I ingeniously profess my self not to see how it will ever be proved reasonable to require from any men more than a Negative Belief of such Mysteries which they cannot understand By a Negative Belief I mean something more perhaps than a meer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or suspending a Man's Judgment viz An Agreeing so far to a thing as not to contradict it or teach contrary to it Now though I may not practise what I am not satisfied is Lawful yet I am not bound to contradict all things which I am not satisfied to be True nay not always those things which I am perswaded to be False Where therefore there is no Practice imposed contrary to Mens Judgments in such Controversies they may be required quietly to acquiesce in the Publick Determination and even without such injunction I think for Peace sake truly they ought But to require Men to practise contrary to what they can understand to be True I think is iniquitous or which is much the same uncharitable It is not what we would have imposed upon our selves Now after proposal of the clearest Arguments we have if Men shall still avow they understand not such things to be true and assign considerable Reasons for such their Avowry for my own part I know not why we should not believe them to be dissatisfied when they constantly protest they are especially since they themselves best know and it is impossible for us to know the contrary till we can know their Hearts Let those men therefore be Silent and till we can satisfie them which for ought I can see will not be till we can make things plain which are confessedly unsearchable if not as some pretend unintelligible let not us impose a Practice upon them contrary to their Sense especially seeing we are agreed in the other parts of our Common Christianity But for present Vnion how shall such Injunctions which impose the Orthodox Doctrin admitting them to be Laws be superseded I do conceive very much if not full enough is done already by the late Act in favour of Dissenters and I acquiesce in the Authority that pass'd it as plenary enough to relax more if necessary I cannot believe the Body of the Bishops disallowed or did not with good liking consent to that Act Nor do I judge such a Lower House of Convocation as by common Custom of this Realm is made up of the Representatives of all Beneficed Presbyters is necessary to Authorising every Alteration which shall be made in our Liturgy or Canons If this Course had been observ'd in K. Edward the Sixth's time we had had no Reformed Liturgy perhaps no Reformation at all As long as there is a free Synod or Convention of all the Bishops the Suffrage of fewer Doctors and those truly Doctors if the Government please may amply suffice And I appeal herein to the Practice of the Primitive and truly Catholick Church of which upon occasion I may say more In expectation of some happy Healing Temper by some such means as this let us all be quiet and make use of the Liberty given pressing each of us no more upon any than is by Law required nor being offended with any of our Brethren for taking the Liberty which the present Relaxation gives and then I do not know but all Consciencious Men may in publick Congregations one where or other Pray Hear and Communicate to their own Hearts content But as for Atheistical and Irreligious men that neglect scoff at or make it their business to deprave all Religion or as for such whose Religion is mostly either their Gain or Addictedness to their Party and Hypothesis touching both these I say we are not to trouble our selves that they agree not with us they will do so when God shall change their Hearts Charity and Sweetness are a main part of the new Creature and for promoting this in them and in others we are to use all our Prudence and our utmost Endeavours both by Prayer Doctrin and any other fit means we can think of When they have new Hearts they will be peaceable
or fit to be courted into Agreement and not till then To this Point therefore namely The Mending the Hearts and Lives of Men let all our Sermons all our Writings tend I cannot tell but the moving farther these Controversies may blast much of the Credit and Success we have had in our late Controversial Writings against the Papists It may be said Our very Orthodox Men of the greatest Reputation have some of them deceded from the Doctrin in this behalf formerly Taught even in our own Church That which follows was once thought a fair intelligible solid and judicious Explication of this Mystery The Substance of GOD with this Property to be of none doth make the Person of the Father The very self-same Substance in number with this Property to be of the Father maketh the Person of the Son The same Substance having added unto it the Property of proceeding from the other two maketh the Person of the Holy Ghost So that in every Person there is implyed both the Substance of GOD which is One and also that Property which causeth the same Person really and truly to differ from the other two The Author of these Words was in his days Master of the Temple and by the best Judgments esteemed both then and now to have spoken as much the Sense of our Church and in this Point of the Catholick Church as any man But other Doctors of Ours engaging at present in this Controversie now explain the Mystery thus The Persons are Three distinct and infinite Minds Three Intelligent Beings Three Holy Spirits For according to this Learned Doctor a Person even in divinis is such a Being as has Understanding Will and Power of Action These three Infinite Minds are distinguished just as three Finite created Minds are by Self-consciousness Each Divine Person has a Self-consciousness of its own and knows and feels it self as distinct from the other Divine Persons Yea The Father has his own Personal Wisdom and by Internal Consciousness all the Wisdom of the Son and of the Holy Ghost The Son has his own Personal Wisdom and by the same Consciousness the Wisdom of the Father and of the Holy Ghost The Holy Ghost has his own Personal Wisdom and all the Wisdom of the Father and Son The like Personal Goodness and Power have they also For these are Perfections that may be in more than one But if either Finite or Infinite Spirits Minds or Persons are mutually conscious that is are internally and universally conscious to one anothers Thoughts Wills Actions and Passions this maketh them to be truly and properly Numerically one with each other as much as each Spirit is one with himself they are hereby united to each other as every man is to himself And thus is it that the Three Persons are One God They are one God and in one another by Perfect Mutual Conciousness I make here neither Comment nor Inference upon this curious Discourse Another Doctor of our Church is pleased more tenderly and safely to explain it thus The Blessed Trinity is three Somewhats and these three Somewhats we commonly call Persons but the true Notion and true Name of that Distinction is unknown to us The Word Persons in Divinis is but metaphorical not signifying just the same as when applied to Men. We mean thereby no more but somewhat analogous to Persons This later part has been ever held to by all Learned Trinitarians and the Dr. speaks like himself Yet it troubles me what Sport some People make even with this Explication But in fine thus stands what Improvements Doctors have made on this Great Christian Dogme Now were it not much better these Doctors had let it alone And that we let it alone and bend our own and endeavour to draw other mens Thoughts to the Practice of plain and unquestionable Devotion and Christian Morals For suppose any people hearing the word Person when applied equally to Father Son and Holy Ghost to be thus improper and that the word Somewhat is a properer and clearer else certainly so great a Doctor would not have used it as an Explicatory Term Suppose I say some Hearers or Readers should substitute Somewhats in their Prayers instead of Persons and say O Holy Blessed and Glorious Trinity Three Somewhats and one God have Mercy on us c. Or To Father Son and Holy Ghost Three Somewhats and one God be all Glory c. What an excellent Improvement of Devotion must there be hereby And though we do not verbally thus change the Terms yet having heard or read them thus explicated such Explications while we use those Forms will be apt to incurr into our Thoughts whether we will or no. So that to conclude I must now desire our Doctors as they are Friends to the Church and would not expose Her Liturgy that they would forbear these Controversies as being not only unprofitable but corruptive of and prejudicial or injurious to our common Devotion I could say much more on this Subject and perhaps shall if what I have here said take not the effect I desire But I should be very willing to hold my Hand as I request others to do I love Truth with my Soul 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To take streight Steps to the Truth has been long my Vow and is still my Study But I love Peace also and true Devotion And we know he that is the God of Truth is in like manner the God of Peace and to be Worship'd with the Devotion of Love and of a Sound Mind God encrease this Devotion and let us endeavour to secure and promote it I may err I will not be turbulent or uncharitable and to that purpose I will dispute as little as I can I cannot dissemble that I wish in this regard all men were of my mind FINIS