did not for this reason call him the Son of God And although the Scripture doth call him the finger of God because the Spirit doth shew the secret Counsels of God yet in all this Scripture the Spirit is never called the Son of God or said to be begotten And when the Macedonian Hereticks demanded an example or Instance of One begotten and another not begotten yet both to come from one Gregory Naz. answereth them c Naz. Orat. 37. that Eve and Seth were both of them from Adam Seth was begotten and Eve not begotten When an earthly King sends his Embassador to declare his will or desires to another State will any man say that the Embassador must for this cause be called the Kings Son No surely although he be Legatus a latere or Legatus natus as our Archbish of Cant. was once called and a veridicus and no Mendoza as one pleasantly described an Embassador Vin bonus peregre missus ad mentienduÌ„ pro Repub. yet no Son for this neither are the Apostles to be called sons for this although S. Paul saith They are Embassadors for Christ 2 Cor. 5. 20. There are other precences alleadged by the Commenter in this matter but they are frivolous and light and easily discernable by any intelligent Reader to be but vain and are not worth the while to examine This Doctrine of the Eternal Son of God and so of the Holy Trinity of Persons is of such necessity to be retained and beleeved that without it Christians cannot reasonably fancy to themselves any probable way of Salvation because as I have formerly shewed upon this Doctrine is grounded the everlasting Covenant of grace which is also called the Eternal Gospel by which only we can hope for and claim Salvation by and in Christ wherefore to me it seemeth a wonderful blindness of some in these Times by whom the blessed Trinity is not only unbelieved but withal so fouly blasphemed that it is both unfitting yea and dangerous to report their words and therefore in the same case S. Basil in his Book against the Heretick Eunomius wherein he was forced to declare his blasphemous Errors thus prayed d Baz Cont. Eunol ib. 2. Domine in his quae loquimur propitius nobis sis i. e. That God would be merciful to him for his only rehearsing Eunomius his blasphemies God is patient indeed in suffering such abuses both of his Truth and Person and doth therefore permit them because he can extract some good use from them upon this reason S. Paul tells us 1 Cor. 11. 19. There must be Heresies as if there were some need of them which surely is chiefly this That the rising of Heresies giveth occasion to the Church to set forth and explain the true and holy Doctrine more evidently then otherwise it would be But I proceed CHAP. 2. The difficulty of the Doctrine of the Trinity and other Christian Mysteries that it should not discourage us from bileeving nor provoke us to impatience The most learned Philosophers Jews and Christians professing their ignorances THe Ancient Hereticks rejected the Doctrine of the Trinity because they could not by reasoning comprehend it and many now a days neglect it because it is sublime and hard to be understood But this pretence will not serve their turn the difficulties should not hinder but rather quicken our indeavors to find out what we can nor should they impede our faith from beleeving that which we are sure the Scriptures propound to us although we understand it not S. Ambrose saith very truly a Ambr. de Offic. lib. 1. c. 1. Nemo est qui doceri non egeat dum vivit ie The most wise and learned men may still be learners whilst they live Neither doth God require our comprehension of all Christian Doctrine but our apprehension not our understanding but our beleeving it The Articles of faith are tendred to us under the word Credo i. e. to be beleeved though not understood Christ himself calls our Religion The Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven Mat. 13. 11. and S. Paul The Mystery of godliness 1 Tim. 3. 16. The word Mystery signifieth a thing secret and hidden of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to shut and in another place he calls these Mysteries Riddles 1 Cor. 13. 12. here we see darkly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e in a Riddle The Prophet saith Verily thâ—u art a God that hidâ—st Isa 45. 15. Luc. 10. 21. thy self Christ said That the Father had hid those things from the wise which yet he revealed to Babes So Christ was figured by the Ark which stood in a secret place of the Temple and there was also a Veile before it to intimate that Christ was for a time shut up veiled and hidden and indeed Moses Veil signified the same thing as the Apostle saith of the careless Jews 2. Cor. 3. 15. But even unto this day when Moses is read the veile is upon their heart when it shall turn unto the Lord the Veil shall be taken away i. e. When by faith their heart shall embrace Christ this darkness shall be light For the submitting our carnal wisdom and reason to the word of God will bring a greater evidence to our souls then the profoundest disputes can do Upon these words My sheep hear my voyce S. Basil observeth Audiunt non disputant ie they make no disputes but accept it and the old reading of those words Isa 7. 9 as we finde generally in the Fathers was Nisi credideri is non intelligetis i. e. except ye beleeve ye shall not understand So S Peter puts believing before knowing Joh. 6. 69. We beleeve and are sure it is in the Original we beleeve and know for in these Mysteries faith must lead us to knowledge b Aug. in Joh. Tract 29. Noli intelligere ut credas sed crede ut intelligas i. e. say not I will not beleeve until I understand but first beleeve and then understanding will follow Christ saith If you beleeve not that I am he you shall dye in Joh. 8. 28. your sins blessed be God saith the Expositer that he did not say Except ye understand it Austin reporting the great faith of Christians in his time tells us that it was a common saying among them c Aug. de Tem. Serm. 189. Accepto baptismo dicere solemus fidelis factus sum credo quod nescio i. e. When we are baptized we use to say now I am one of the faithful for I beleeve that which I understand not When Abailardus would needs know the reason why the Son of God would redeem and save mankind by his own blood-shedding which he might have done by his word only S. Bernard returned this answer d Bern. Epist 190. Ipsum interroga mihi scire licet quod ita Cur ita non licet i. e. Ask Christ himself for though I know he did so yet why did he so I may not presume to
then what must Aaron himself be a Cipher a nothing The truth is that neither in the time of the Synagogue before nor since in the time of the Church Presbyter or Elder were to be accounted the Appellations of Orders but only of an Office and now to call Presbyters a distinct Order of Sacerdocy is as if we should call Apostles Prophets 1 Cor. 12. 28. Ephes 4. 11. Doctors Evangelists and Pastors so many several Orders which are but only Offices for the Apostleship it self is but an Office but the Order of the Apostles is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Act. 1. 20. i. e. Bishoprick It may therefore seem very uncomely that the Presbytery which of it self is no Order should be advanced over the undoubted Scriptural Judg. 9. 15. order of Bishops as is in the Parable The Bramble is not a tree but was made the King of Trees as Pliny also tells of a Shrub which he calls Viscum we call it Missleto c Plin. hist l. 16. c. 44. Cum sedem suam non habeat in aliena vivit i. e. because it hath no land of its own upon which it can grow therefore it grows upon another Tree but this is not all for some of that rank have proceeded too far even to bitterness and open Pulpit-rayling against that high Order wherein they have been called Tyrants and the dissolving of them said to be a greater deliverance then that of Eighty eight or the powder Treason This was said when neither any intelligent Auditor beleeved it and it may charitably be thought that the Preacher did not himself believe it A Jesuit he was who once Emman Sa. said A lye in a Sermon is no Mortal sin but friend without repentance it will prove an immortal sin I crave leave of thy patience Good Reader to tell thee another piece of great partiality that I say no worse against that high Order which I have heard often related by persons Religious of great quality and of eminent prudence and sobriety and also by a Person of Honour who were present Auditors when a grave Minister of the Presbyterian perswasion reading in the Church the second Chapter of St. Peters first Epistle when he came to those words in the last verse For ye were as sheep going astray but are now returned to the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls this Minister read it thus But are now returned to the Shepherd and Presbyter of your souls whereas not only our English Translation but the Original Greek hath the word Bishop But such men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Pet. 2. 25. may say any thing impune so it be to the nulling Bishops because it hath pleased some wiser-heads to make use of Malevolent hearts and Venal tongues to prepare the game for a more politick and profitable reason of state for I cannot imagine that the dissolving of Episcopacy was noted only for their ill management of the Jurisdiction but also for the good use which others might make of their Temporalties and if all the excesses of them in their jurisdictions were now collected since primo Elizabethae until Mar. 25. 1654. The moderate administration thereof by some Presbyters since that time will not rise up in judgment against the Bishops CHAP. IX Of Scandalous Ministers Scandals by dis-use of the Lords Prayer Christs Kingdom on earth and of his comming before the last judgement Successes in unjust causes are no signs of Gods approbation The Regal stile Gratia Dei. Of Thanks-givings THere hath been much adoe with us about scandalous Ministers and the right Character of them that are so indeed is that they are the men which lay stumbling-blocks in our way to retard us from going toward Heaven and to make us fall into Hell But those godly those godly studious and laborious Ministers who endeavour both day and night to direct our souls in the right way toward Heaven and to sufflaminate them which are too swiftly running towards Hell are quite contrary to scandalous Ministers except this word scandalous be understood in that sence as it is used Rom. 9. 33. and 1 Cor. 1. 23. where Christ himself was called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Jezabels Priests were indeed scandalous Ministers for they seduced the people by magnifying Baal but was Elias a scandalous Prophet for shewing the true God to that people Verily many Reverend Religious persons such as Elias was are now by the Canting Language of these days nick-named Scandalous Malignant and ill-affected by those that call other men by names proper to themselves but I wish that they would consider that as there is a woe Matt. 18. 7. to that man by whom the scandal or offence cometh So there is the like Wo unto them that call Isa 5. 29. evil good and good evil a Diod. lib. 1. Diodorus Siculus tells us of an Aegyptian Queen Isis that gave the third part of her Land to Priests to hire them to cry up her deceased Husband for a God And we are told by b Eus de Praep. lib. 1. c. 1. Eusebius of an Aegyptian King that set up several Religions in the several Provinces of that Country that thereby the people might be divided and so despise and hate one another for Religion least they should agree in one and so conspire against their King whereby it seems that Divide Impera was an old Egyptian-Heathenish policy but surely Dilige Impera is the better and more Christian There are also many Religions among us I cannot say for what policy and many old revived Heresies brought in as Arianism by Socinians Donatism by Anabaptists Aerianism by the Anti-prelaticals And Judaism by some Sabbatarians And Millinarism by our new Chiliasts or Millers as our Country people call them whilst the true Christian and English-Catholick Religion is by all those parties contemned and depraved as is shewed before in divers particulars to which I must add one more which is a great scandal also against the Person of Christ Fifth The Lords Prayer is now in many places omitted and quite dis-used whereby some people have taken occasion most impiously and cursedly to blaspheme both it and also the Author of it they call it the Devils Faggot-bond and they say that Christ if he were now on earth would be ashamed of it c. surely those Demagogues that do thus principle their Disciples are the right scandalous Ministers and no good teachers as one saith c Plaut in Bach. Pejor Magister te ista docuit it must be such a Preacher as Irenaeus speaks of d Iren. lib. 1. c. 29 Serpens praeconiavit in Marcion i. e. either Marcions Chaplain or he that in the Serpent Preached to Eve For this Prayer was taught us by that God to whom we are to pray as if the Prince himself should pen our Petition wherewith he would be petitioned that so he might the more cheerfully and unscrupulously grant it Wherein we are
parts written by that famous wit of France Monsieur de Scudery Governour of Nostre-dame and now Englished by F. G. Esq Fol. 153. The fourth Volume of Artamenes or the Grand Cyrus that Excellent new Romance being the seaventh and eighth parts written by that famous Wit of France Monsieur de Scudery Governour of Nostre-dame and now englished by F. G. Esq Fol. 154. The History of Polexander a Romance Englished by William Browne Gent. Fol. 155. The History of the Banished Virgin a Romance translated by I. H. Esq Fol. 156. Casandra the fam'd Romance the three first books Elegantly rendred into English by the Right Honorable the Lord George Digby 8o. 157. The History of Philoxipes and Policrite a Romance made English by an honorable person 8o. 158. The History of Don Fenise a new Romance written in Spanish by Francisco de las Coveras Englished by a Person of Honour 8o. 159. Aurora Ismenia and the Prince with Oronta the Cyprian Virgin translated by Thomas Stanley Esq 160. 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