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Show 79'-' An .Atldrefs to 'Pf'oteflanft; VoL. I. , ~~ , Epi!lles to the Alrembly to be necelrarily believed. For we know iQ thofe '-' v """" Days, the People madt tbe Cbprcb, th~y were the Jt.Mrf$r the Clergy, however PJrt 11. it came a hour that it benowengro1Ted tntofewer Hands, as you may fee in the Se8:. 5 • Grrek of Peter, 1 Pet. v + Mtlft' .;f diAJWtrtrSor7•r 7;, v.•~v, which ..,.~,,is Tranfla~ ted Heritage in all our Bibles._ Bur this is as if. the Prieft.r only were the Lord's Heritdgc; which can't be, for J :Rea!on o~VIOUS tO-all, namely, .that they hav·e long reign'd as Lords over ~od I Rentage, or Clergy, f6rbtd etprefly by Peru, therefore not the Henrage anti Clergy over w'h1th they fo Rule like Lords; by no ~eans ... I will fay no more but r.his, 'tis rio Convincing Proof to me of rheu Humthty. But to fhut up th1s· Argument aboUt rbe Difficulty of Underlla\lding the Scripture, and pretended Necellity of a Vifible Judge; 1 fay, TVbatfoevcr may be fpoken, may be written; or thus. Jl7haljoever a Vifib!e ]11dge can now fay, 11Je Holy renmtn by God's Diretlio; might have written; and what an Omnircient and Oninipotent God did knoW, and could do for Man's SalvatiOn, an Omnihenevolent ~Sod, rhat tells us, He delights not i'n the Death of one Soul, but rat!Jer that be jbou/J. be {aved, wOuld certainly h·:tve done for Man. And bec:aufe God is a!i O>n~ nilienevolent, as Omnifcienrand Omnipotent, we muft con etude he has done it~ and 'tis great Prefumption, and a n'lean Shelter to :fgnorance or Ambiti· o~, to r.ai'fe a Credit ro Ruman Devices, by beiting doWn the True Value of the Scriptures. They are dark; What follows? '(hey muft not he read? What follows then? Wby then fucb Teacherr m<tJ do as they lift with the People. Rut did the Pbari{eer, with their brOad Phyla8:erieS, knoW God's Mind better rhan the Prop'hets? Or could tfiey deliverir clearer? No fuch Matter : It is by the fame ftrange Figure, that the ,~khool·Men know the ];lind ofCbri{l beta ter than the Jfpofllu, and that lhe Collncil uf Trent can d!clare F,11tb more clearly tb'Jil tbe Holy Ghoft in tbe Scripture hath doni; and yet tbH if the Engtifh o their Doffrine, that bold to fl<$ ibofe Lights to rtt~~l the Scripture by; and that wrJu!d bavr rts Jearcb their Cairons and Decree$, to find out the Jl1ind of tbc Holy Gboft in Scripture. The Confufions that are pfttended to follow fuel\ an Enquiry, are hut the wretched Ans ofSelfifh M'~p_, as much as in them lies, to keep Light and Truth out of the World. When the Net was caft inro the Sea, th'ere carne fome Good, fame Bad. Fifh; it was nOt the Fijher's Fault thej v.·ete Tid beuer. Enquiry is not to be ~Jariled for_t~e: ill Ufe Weak, orworfeM.en3 make of it. The Berean.r might not all be}ieve, though they might a'lr fearch i for Men don't enquire with equal Wifd6ni, Love, and good De· fire~ Some fcck and find nrJt, Iome aft and receive not;- }:lthes iv. 3· therefore mufi: none ask or leek Jfcer that which is Good? Or bec:lllfe fome ask O[ feek amifs, Will it follow that the Thing it felf is naught? {( Superftition, Error, Idolatry, and Spiritual Tyranny be dele8:ed, and Truth difc6vet'd, will it nor more than make amends for all that Weak nefs and Folly fotne Men have brought fatrh by the Liberty of fuch an Enquiry? The Enemies of Lght may he as R.betorici)l as they pleJfe upon the Excefs or Prefump~ tion of fome, Bolder than Wife, and more ZeJlous thln Knowing, but if they had norbin~ to lofe by the Difcovery, they would never be the Ene~ mies of a Cbriflwn SeardJ. It is to be fe:n'd, fuch get th:Jt Obedience and SubjeEl:ion by a blind Devotion, which no Ma.n could yield them upon better Information; And is it Reafonable that Men of that Stamp, fhould fecure their Empire by the Ignorance of the People ? Ignorance ought to be the Mother of Devotion with none hut thofe that C<.!nnot be Devour upon better Terms: 1c is the Glory of~ Man thar he is Religious"upon Rea10n, and that his Duty and (Lev. 22. 18, 29.) Sacrifice, are not Blind or forc"d, but Free a~d Re~tfonablc. Truth upon Knowledge, though vext -with Schifm, Vlif~ and Good Men will chufe before ignorant Religion, and aU ir's SuperlHrious Eff'efis with Uniformity. Enough of this. But this Notion Of an Infallible Vijible ]11dgr, n at F11/ft in Reafon tll in Fail. · For fi1lt, it takes away the Ufe of ev~ry Man's Rcafon, and it is a. ConrradiflirJn to bav~ any, un!cfs 1~ weu fuc!J an Inftrprerer, and .fucb .z Judt< ; VoL, I. An Addrefs to 'Proteflanti ,Judge, tU Wttuld tonclude liS h . J" • . II(; • bet he mojl Wrlcontc Jtrr. . 'Y Conm{lion, ond not h" A l . f 93 to give the L e to Jonm the World, But to./ llf'JOrJt}: That would T_ wo and Tbrelmah.e j{, ~wn Under!f'anding, fay, B~;:~~r:Ie my own Sight, ~ yxeld my Upderftanding ;or~uushSNbJugar~ imeUeflunt in Obf:Vhfte, and. that Part 11. ~orfe, to believe a Lye Ji fr. . a~ Jn~evtdent Way of Fai h'JIIIUm fider; to Sect. 5, lielvfed, appears Unrrue, is o~ ftituts to them, ro whom th~ Th~ay, whkh is . we mufi be LcJ i; h d bo nreafonable. tng to be be .. tmghr then ha b ' a een eafier for us t h · mend our felve~~ u:~ter follow'd the Dog and othea'ieubeen born Blind, we foul o~wrong, this H l:x~ee, and to be ~ed; and that i/,J,.,or We could not ~fudhon might fairly end o£:. b Here ltes the' Difpute· A a'r welfu to he 1 we have Eyes fo • .U er put ONt our E eF i. n tru Y here the we lhould rrutt any Mour MtnMds as well as for lfodie~r ~~ llluft them: But any more than we ou an, or en, againfi rhe E es ' ee no Reafon why of the Eyes of our Bg:t to confide in rhem agai~lt th{ Soufc Underftanding, Where is the ooo les. en e and Certainty Coin for Silver bp _rrft Mechanid that would b . . think our J..'obl;r Ja::t~e~f0P[ or: BJfhop? And ca~ ~~t hfl LBbo~r in hafe Eter11al M~menr. Fo ot o DlfttnaiOn, about that e o runq,, as to Were not to follow B r thbugh Pe~er was to feed the S~reifure rchuh H ~f foUow m.e and S. 'tter, Ut Chnfi. M Shee h ~' yet the Sheep ator bet~ixt chrift~~dr;.heS'Y uill not foU~, Jth/;r :C' Hce, ~<~ys he, and for them; bNt the h !s h.eep; nor does an B~ 4· ere Is n~ Medi .. have rn,any Scrvalrs ear~ Vozce, tbemftiver. Ana th Y :1~ hear hu Voic~ of his .Fold 'yet e only lJ their Shepherd duff t e Shepherd may But rher~ are three:: PI fS . , Bn t ey are M/y the Sheep , ~~pi. ~~ar;;,:, V,:f,U~!%.t ~:l~'::'epr!Fe~tt cg~~ri~~~ i~he 'fi~nRf,n;~m-c/ th~atfo~dwed .if unto them,. ~That f:,To1 S ~:1· is manifefl. in .tlfrn, }o~ -what iS nec~J:~~v~ xxh· 27. God hath enlight~ed~r o{o]Jfan ~Kiftng the Candle Need of Wax C or ltt1 to know both of God a r:nam c unto Man lie that believe: a;;;:e:;, 0fv.!apers,. or~ Vijihle Guid:'!m~~relf. h He;e is ~~ ·Another Palf;ge is th:' znifs rn hrmfe/f. lire ; JOT jltu, I Cor, xi, i. In which t~s~ A e {{ F_oUowerF of me, rven ttl I am alfo .r...-.~o , oyer the Church of Co • b po lets fo far from .ferrinf himfi If u OJ Lot,, ~~~~~~id~~k~~o;r~~~~~::~f~~~i:e~o~~· w:~.,'~i~i.' ~;j~~}:; amp e. f!e ye FoUowen of me. H e ruth of hts Conformity to tha E Ju~ely, wtthout Examination?. M~ft? Af~r ~hat Manner? What! ~bf~~ T~. take ;hat thou faycfi: for granted we, ~heve Thee without any Trial' t bn~. ,C. ye FoUowerr of me even a,; jl; out any ~ore to do ? No fuch t~ b~ {~~~~by /uo.u acCording 'to r_hat RuJ~~o ::t{1~~: I fubmit my felf will bear it ea urd, that lay C!aJm to the Name of Q ~~~ ChDrches are The Thi;d Paffa . . . n;.um: The Text iris this. 2. Cor ge IS Jn hts Sec~nd Epiflle to the Ume Ch . Dbaijh?e rec;iv~d Aie~ct: ~ }ain;':,';;'[o;e fiheeing we have rbir ~i~/~~~or:;t:j ' one/1y, not wal!.:in . C rfi . . ut ave renounced the biJde Tb. (MDJ,; bUr hY, M~tnife"fta:i:n ~~~h~eft no;; handling ~he Word o/GoJ ';£~t£ A anru_ Cf)'!fcunce in the Sight of Godut H tom_me~dmg our /elver to roery po e makes Ufe of: He requir · Mere JS t e utmoft lmptifition the 1J"Je, Tan~ refers himfelf to tba:sof.O~h . en t'o C.receiv:e him without Evia 0 • h1s was the Wo..ty of maki e~r ?Wn onfcunce.r in the Sight of ol keeping and m:~king MenCh "fi'ng Chrijhan$ then; ir muft he the Way Confcience, in the beft Senfe r~/ans now. a B,ond upon Men in all Reli ions · ~e Word, ha~ ~ver been allowed to be fihlch under Pretence of Au~ho . . ut that RehgLOQ, whoever holds it ead of maklng Men better theE~· f'Ru\~ _fuperfede Confcienu, and i'n: ' 0 e lgton, make rhem worfe, by con- 5 I foundill!: |
