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Show [95 (amg. OF A CHRISTIAN Chapgz. What it i, to But b the Captivity ofour Underftanding,is not meant a Submifl", captivate the on oft e Intelleé‘tuall faculty, to the Opinion ofany other man, but ‘Z/ydcrflond- of the Will to Obedience , where obedience is due. . For Senfe, "'2- Memory, Underflanding, Reafon, and‘Opinion are not in our power to change; but alwaies,and neceflarily‘luch,as the things we fee,hear, and coniider fugoeft unto its-,and therefore are not effet‘ts of our Will, but our Will oft rem. We then Captivate our Underflanding and Reafon, when we forbear contradiction, when we to ipeak , as (by lawfiillAuthority)we are Commanded, and when we live accor- rm. 3. C 0 MM 0 N-WE A L TH; How Cod W hen God l‘peaketh to man, it muft be either immediately; or li'mhdl' '9 ""7" by mediation of another man, to whom he had iormerlyfpoken by himfelt‘immediately. How God fpeaketh to a man immediately, may be under llood by tliole well enough, to whom he hath lo l‘polmn; but how the fame {houldbcunderllood by another, is hard, if not impoflible to know, Forif‘aman pretend to me , that God hath fpoken to him fupernaturally, and immediately, and I make doubt hi it, Icannot eafily perceive what argument he can produce, to oblige me to beleeve it. It is true, that ir‘hc be my Soveraign, he may ohlige me to obedience, fo, as not by aét or word to declare 1 helm-e him not; but not to think any otherwife then my reafim perlwadcs me. Butif onethat hath not fuch authority over me, {hall pretend the fame,there is nothing that exaéteth either beleeie, or obedience. For to fay that Godliath l'poken to him in the Holy Scripture 18 not to fay God hath fpoken to him immediately, but by mediation or the Prophets, or ofthc Apoflles, or ofthe Church, in iuch manner at he {peaks to all other Chriflian men. To lay he hath {poien to him ina Dream, is no more then to lay he dreamed that God {palte ti. him; which is not of force to win belt‘ei‘ from any man , ll].1'. knows dreams are for the molt part naturafl , and may proceed from former thoughts-, and {uch dreams as that, from i‘eli‘e «:oiirtit , and fooliih arrogance,and falfe opinion ofa mans own godlineilta a other vertue, by which he thinks he hath iii'erited the favour oi L‘Qllliiil'tlr nary Revelation. To fay he hath feen a Viiion, or heard a. Voice, 15 to lay , that he hath dreamed between {leeping and \valang : for m fiich mannera man doth many times naturally talte his dream for .1 vi ion, as not having wellobl‘erved his own lluuibering. 'l‘oia} h. f alts by fupernaturall Inipiration, is to fay he finds an ardent klu‘ iii: to lpealt, or lome {lrong opinion of‘himielf', for which hee cm alledge no naturall and liiflicient reafon. So that though God Almighty can {peak to a man,by Dreams, Viiions, Voice, and Inipixa» tion; yet he obliges no man to beleeve he hath fo done to him that I" "M m-J' 1' PW Hui; an. pretends it;who (being a man) may erre,and (which is more) may ll‘t. llow then can he,to whom God iath never l'L'VCJlCd his \_\'il mini.dlills‘l)'(13\'lng by the way of natural reafon‘fitnoiy when he is to obey knownor {10‘ t0 obey his \Vord,delivered by him,that iayes he is a Prophet? I long: 22. or 400 Prophets, of whom the K. oil/m1 asked t‘ounhi, concernipg (iii my up by Ierohoam, though a true Prophet , and that by two miracles done in his prefence appears to bea Prophet [em from. God, was yet deceived by another old Prophet, that .perfwaded him as from ihe mouth of God, to eat and drink with him. . If one Prophet de- ceive another, what certainty is there of knowmg the Will of God, by other way than that ofReafon c' dingly, which in liim, is Trufi,and Faith repoied in him that lpealteth, though the mind be incapable or any Notion at all from the words fpoken. , _ _ Chap; 32. the warre he made againft Ramoth Gilead, only Mic/lid) was a true 1 King: [7. one. The Prophet that was lent to prophecy againfl: the Altar fer To which I anfrver out of the Holy Scripture, that there be two marks , by which together , not afurider, a true Prophet is to be known.0ne is the domg ofmiracles; the other is the not teaching any other Reli ion than that which is already efiabliflied. Afiinder ( I fay )neither 0 thefe is fufiiCient. If Deui.1,i;:~i; a Prop/Jot rife amongflyou, ora Dreamer ofdreams, ‘ and flmll pretend 2: 3; A}: S: the doing ofamimr/e,dna' the mirarle come to le'sif he fay, Let :4: follow jinn/g: Cody, which thou hajl not known, thou/bolt mt hear/ms to him, &'I. But that Prophet and Dreamer of dreamrflm/l he put to death, hero/1ft he hath [poke/1 toyooto Revoltfi'om the Lord your Goal. In which words two things are to be obferved;Firfi,th at God wil not have miracles alone ferve for arouments,to approve the Prophets callingdfllt (as it is in the third verize) for an experiment ofthe confianCy or our adherence to himfelfiFor the works of the Egyptian Sorcerers, though not {0 great as tlioie ofMofe: , yet were great miracles. Secondly, that how great foever the miracle be , yetifit tend to [lit up‘ rCVOlt againfl the King,or him that governeth by the Kings authority, he that doth {uch miracle , is not to be confidered otherwife than as (em to make triall oftheir allegiance. For thefe words, revoltfrom the Lord your G04', are in this place equivalent to revolt from your Kifig. For they had made God their King by pact at the foot of Mount Simii; who ruled them by Mofes only; for he only fpake with God, and from time to time declared Gods Commandements to the people. In like manner , after our Saviour Chtifi had made his Diii‘iples acknowledge him for the Mtjfiah, (that is to fay, for Gods anointed, whom the nation ofthe Icw: daily expected for their King, but refuted when he came,) he omitted not to advertife them of the danger of miracles. There jb/l/l «rife (faith he ) fol/E Chrifl: , and Mar. 24. 24, fid/e Prop/1m, and/1M]! dotgrm wonder: and miraoicr , we" to the fed/«ring ( if" were poflrh/e ) ofthe 720'} EleéY. By which it appears, that {alfe Prophets may have the power of miracles 5 yet are wee not to take their doctrin for Gods Word. St? Paul fays further to the G45 1‘ 3(Lilatr'zms, that ifhimfelf, or an Angel! from heaven reach Another Gofpel to them, thzm he hadpreached, let him he aromfe . That Gofpel was, that Chrift was King 5 to that all preaching againi't the power of the King received, in confequence to thefe words , is by St. Paul {Kcurlsd- For his fpeech is addreifed to thofe , who by his preach- !ng had already received I0/11: for the Chrifi, that is to fay for King The mar/{r of Of the la":3 a Prophet 27d And as Miracles, Without preaching that Doctrine which God hath "9". "Id 1"" efiablrihed; f0 preaching the true Doétrine, without the doing of MIMI?" "M Miracles, is. an unfufficient ' ' . D ‘ argument ofimmediate Revelation. For gig]: I?".< C 3 1f the law. |