Sacred and Inspired Divinitie

The prerogative of God extendeth as well to the reason as to the will of Man; So that as we are to obey his law though we finde a reluctation in our wil ; So we are to believe his word, though we finde a reluctation in our reason: For if we beleeve onely that which is agreeable to our sence, we give consent to the matter, and not to the Author, which is no more then we would doe towards a suspected and discredited witnesse: But that faith which was accounted to Abraham for righteousnesse was of such a point, as where at Sarah laughed, who therein was an Image of Naturall Reason.

Howbeit (if we will truly consider of it) more worthy it is to believe, then to knowe as we now know; For in knowledge mans mind suffereth from sence, but in beliefe it suffereth from Spirit, such one as it holdeth for more authorised then it selfe, & so suffereth from the worthier Agent: otherwise it is of the state of man glorified, for then faith shal cease, & we shall knowe as we are knowne.

Wherefore we conclude that sacred Theologie (which in our Idiome we call Divinitie) is grounded onely upon the word & oracle of God, and not upon the light of nature: for it is written, Cælienarrant gloriam Dei: But it is not written Cælienarrant voluntatem Dei: But of that it is said; Ad legem & testimonium si non fecerint secundum verbum istud &c. This holdeth not onely in those points of faith, which concerne the great misteries of the Deitie, of the Creation, of the Redemption, but likewise those which concerne the law Moral truly interpreted; Love your Enemies, doe good to them that hate you. Be like to your heavenly father, that suffereth his raine to fal upon the Just & Unjust. To this it ought to be applauded, Nec vox hominem sonat, It is a voice beyond the light of Nature: So we see the heathen Poets when they fall upon a libertine passion, doe still expostulate with lawes and Moralities, as if they were opposite and malignant to Nature: Et quod natura remittit, inuida Jura negant: So said Dendamis the Indian unto Alexanders Messengers: That he had heard somewhat of Pythagoras, and some other of the wise men of Græcia, and that he held them for excellent Men: but that they had a fault, which was that they had in too great reverence and veneration a thing they called Lawe and Manners: So it must be confessed that a great part of the Lawe Morall is of that perfection, whereunto the light of Nature cannot aspire: how then is it, that man is saide to have by the light and lawe of Nature some Notions, and conceits of vertue and vice, justice & wrong, good and evill? Thus, because the light of Nature is used in two severall senses: The one, that which springeth from Reason, Sense, Induction, Argument, according to the lawes of heaven and earth: The other that which is imprinted upon the spirit of Man by an inward Instinct, according to the lawe of conscience, which is a sparkle of the puritie of his first Estate: In which later sense onely, he is participant of some light, and discerning: touching the perfection of the Morall lawe: but how? sufficient to check the vice, but not to informe the dutie. So then the doctrine of Religion, as well Morall as Misticall, is not to be attained, but by inspiration and revelation from God.

The use notwithstanding of Reason in spirituall things, and the latitude thereof is very great and generall: for it is not for nothing, that the Apostle calleth Religion our reasonable service of God, insomuch as the verie Ceremonies and Figures of the oulde Lawe were full of reason and signification, much more then the ceremonies of Idolatrie and Magicke, that are full of Non-significants and Surde Characters; But most specially the Christian faith, as in all things, so in this deserveth to be highly magnified, houlding and preserving the golden Mediocritie in this point, betweene the law of the Heathen, and the law of Mahumet, which have embraced the two extreames. For the Religion of the Heathen had no constant beleefe or confession, but left all to the libertie of argument: and the Religion of Mahumet on the otherside, interdicteth argument altogether; the one having the verie face of Errour: and the other of Imposture; whereas the Faith doth both admit and reject Disputation with difference.

The use of Humane Reason in Religion, is of two sorts: The former in the conception and apprehension of the Mysteries of God to us revealed; The other, in the inferring and deriving of doctrine and direction therupon: The former extendeth to the mysteries themselves: but how? by way of Illustration, and not by way of argument. The later consisteth indeed of Probation and Argument. In the former wee see God vouch safeth to descend to our capacitie, in the expressing of his misteries in sort as may bee sensible unto us: and doth grifte his Revelations & holie doctrine upon the Notions of our reason, and applyeth his Inspirations to open our understanding, as the forme of the key to the ward of the locke; for the later, there is allowed us an use of Reason, and argument, secondarie and respective; although not originall and absolute: For after the Articles and principles of Religion are placed and exempted from examination of reason: It is then permitted unto us to make derivations and inferences from, and according to the Analogie of them, for our better direction. In Nature this holdeth not, for both the principles are examinable by Induction, though not by a Medium or Sillogisme: and besides those principles or first positions, have noe discordance with that reason which draweth downe and diduceth the inferiour positions. But yet it holdeth not in Religion alone, but in many knowledges both of greater and smaller Nature, namely wherin there are not onely Posita but Placita, for in such there can be noe use of absolute reason, we see it familiarly in Games of wit, as Chesse, or the like; The Draughts and first lawes of the Game are positive, but how? meerely ad placitum, and not examinable by reason; But then how to direct our play thereupon with best advantage to winne the game, is artificiall and rationall. So in Humane lawes, there be many groundes and Maximes, which are Placita Juris, Positive upon authoritie and not upon reason, and therefore not to be disputed: But what is most just, not absolutely, but relatively, and according to those Maximes, that affordeth along field of disputation. Such therfore is that secondarie reason, which hath place in divinitie, which is grounded upon the Placets of God.

Here therefore I note this deficience, that there hath not bin to my understanding sufficiently enquired11De usu legittimo rationis humanæ in divinis. & handled, The true limits and use of reason in spirituall things: as a kinde of divine Dialectique, which for that it is not done, it seemethto me a thing usuall, by pretext of true conceiving that, which is revealed, to search and mine into that which is not revealed, and by pretext of enucleating inferences and contradictories, to examine that which is positive: The one sort falling into the Error of Nicodemus, demanding to have things made more sensible then it pleaseth God to reveale them; Quomodo possit homo nasci cum sit senex? The other sort into the Error of the Disciples, which were scandalized at a shew of contradiction: Quid est hoc quod dicit nobis, modicum, & non videbitis me, & iterum modicum, & videbitis me &c.

Upon this I have insisted the more, in regard of the great and blessed use thereof, for this point well laboured and defined of, would in my judgement be an Opiate to staie and bridle not onely the vanitie of curious speculations, wherewith the schooles labour but the furie of controversies, wherewith the church laboureth. For it cannot but open mens eyes to see that many controversies doe meerely pertaine to that which is either not revealed or positive, and that many others doe growe upon weake and obscure Inferences or derivations which latter sort of men would revive the blessed stile of that great Doctor of the Gentiles, would bee carryed thus: Ego, non Dominus, and againe Secundum consilium meum, in Opinions and counsells, and not in positions and oppositions. But Men are nowe over readie to usurpe the stile. Non Ego, sed Dominus, and not so only, but to binde it with the thunder and denunciation of Curses, and Anathemaes, to the terror of those which have not sufficiently learned out of Salomon, that The causelesse Curse shall not come.

Divinitie hath two principall parts: The matter informed or revealed: and the nature of the Information or Revelation: and with the later wee will beginne: because it hath most coherence with that which wee have now last handled. The nature of the information consisteth of three braunches: The limites of the information; the sufficiencie of the information; and the acquiring or obtaining the information. Unto the limits of the information belong these considerations: howe farre forth particular persons continue to bee inspired: how farre forth the Church is inspired: and howe farre forth reason may be used; the last point wherof I have noted as deficient. Unto the sufficiency of the information belong two considerations, what points of Religion are foundamentall, & what perfective, beeing matter of founder building and perfection upon one, and the same foundation: and againe how the gradations of light according to the dispensation of times, are materiall to the sufficiencie of beleefe.

Here againe I may rather give it in advise, then note it as deficient, that the points foundamentall,22De gradibus unitatis in Civitate Dei. and the points of further perfection onely ought to bee with piety and wisedome distinguished: a subject tending to much like ende, as that I noted before: for as that other were likely to abate the nomber of controversies: So this is like to abate the heate of manie of them. Wee see Moses when he sawe the Israelite and the Egyptian fight, hee did not say, Why strive you? but drew his sworde, and slewe the Egyptian: But when hee sawe the two Israelites fight, hee said, You are brethren, why strive you? If the point of doctrine bee an Egyptian, it must bee slaine by the sword of the spirit, and not reconciled. But if it be an Israelite, though in the wrong: then Why strive you. We see of the foundamentall points, our Saviour penneth the league thus, Hee that is not with us is against us, but of points not fundamentall, thus Hee that is not against us, is with us. So wee see the Coate of our Saviour was entier without seame, and so is the Doctrine of the Scriptures in it selfe: But the government of the Churche was of divers colours, and yet not devided: wee see the chaffe may and ought to be severed from the corne in the Eare: But the Tares may not be pulled up from the corne in the field: So as it is a thing of great use well to define, what, and of what latitude those points are, which doe make men meerely aliens and disincorporate from the Church of God.

For the obtaining of the information, it resteth upon the true & sound Interpretation of the Scriptures which are the fountaines of the water of life. The Interpretations of the Scriptures are of two sorts: Methodical, and Solute, or at large, for this divine water which excelleth so much that of Jacobs Well, is drawne forth much in the same kinde, as Naturall Water useth to bee out of Wells and Fountaines: either it is first forced up into a Cesterne and from thence fetcht and derived for use: or else it is drawne and received in Buckets and Vessels immediately where it springeth. The former sort whereof though it seeme to bee the more readie, yet in my judgement is more subject to corrupt. This is that Methode which hath exhibited, unto us the scholasticall divinitie, whereby divinity hath bin reduced into an Art, as into a Cesterne, & the streames of doctrine or positions fetcht and derived from thence.

In this, Men have sought three things, a summarie brevitie, a compacted strength, and a compleate perfection: whereof the two first they faile to finde, and the last they ought not to seeke. For as to brevitie, wee see in all summarie Methodes, while men purpose to abridge, they give cause to dilate. For the summe or abridgement by contraction becommeth obscure, the obscuritie requireth exposition, and the exposition is diduced into large comentaries, or into common places, and titles, which growe to be more vast then the originall writings, whence the summe was at first extracted. So we see the volumes of the schoole-men are greater much then the first writings of the fathers, whence the Maister of the sentences made his summe or collection. So in like manner the volumes of the modern Doctors of the Civil Law exceed those of the ancient Jurisconsults, of which Tribonian compiled the digest. So as this course of summes & commentaries is that which doth infallibly make the body of Sciences more immense in quantitie, and more base in substance.

And for strength, it is true, that knowledges reduced into exact Methodes have a shew of strength, in that each part seemeth to support & sustaine the other: But this is more satisfactorie then substantiall, like unto buildings, which stand by Architecture; and compaction, which are more subject to ruine, then those that are built more stronge in their severall parts though lesse compacted. But it is plaine, that the more you recede from your grounds, the weaker doe you conclude, & as in nature, the more you remove your selfe from particulars, the greater peril of Error you doe incur: So, much more in Divinitie, the more you recede from the Scriptures by inferences and consequences, the more weake and dilute are your positions.

And as for perfection, or compleatnes in divinitie it is not to be sought, which makes this course of Artificiall divinitie the more suspecte: For hee that will reduce a knowledge into an Art, will make it round and uniforme: But in Divinitie manie things must bee left abrupt and concluded with this: O altitudo Sapientiæ & scientiæ Dei, quam incomprehensibilia sunt Judicia eius, & non investigabiles viæ eius? So againe the Apostle saith, Ex parte scimus, and to have the forme of a totall, where there is but matter for a part, cannot bee without supplies by supposition and presumption. And therefore I conclude, that the true use of these Summes and Methods hath place in Institutions or Introductions, preparatorie unto knowledge: but in them, or by diducement from them, to handle the mayne bodie and substance of a knoweledge; is in all Sciences prejudiciall, and in Divinitie dangerous.

As to the Interpretation of the Scriptures solute and at large, there have beene divers kindes introduced & devised, some of them rather ruinous and unsafe, then sober and warranted. Notwithstanding thus much must be confessed, that the Scriptures being given by inspiration, and not by humane reason, doe differ from all other books in the Author: which by consequence doth drawe on some difference to be used by the Expositor. For the Inditer of them did knowe foure things which noe man attaines to knowe, which are the misteries of the kingdome of glorie; the perfection of the Lawes of Nature: the secrets of the heart of Man: and the future succession of all ages. For as to the first, it is said. He that presseth into the light, shall be oppressed of the Glorie. And againe, Noe man shall see my face and live. To the second, When he prepared the heavens I was present, when by lawe and compasse he enclosed the deepe. To the third, Neither was it needefull that any should beare witnesse to him of Man, for he knewe well what was in Man. And to the last, From the beginning are knowne to the Lord all his workes.

From the former two of these have beene drawne certaine senses and expositions of Scriptures, which had need be contained within the bounds of sobrietie; The one Anagogicall, and the other Philosophicall. But as to the former, Man is not to prevent his time; Videmus nunc per speculum in Aenigmate, tunc autem facie adfaciem, wherein neverthelesse there seemeth to be a libertie graunted, as farre forth as the polishing of this glasse, or some moderate explication of this Aenigma. But to presse too farre into it cannot but cause a dissolution and overthrowe of the spirite of man. For in the body there are three degrees of that we receive into it: Aliment Medecine and Poyson whereof Aliment is that which the Nature of Man can perfectly alter & overcom: Medecine is that which is partly converted by Nature, & partly converteth nature: & Poyson is that which worketh wholy upon Nature without that, that nature can in any part worke upon it. So in the minde whatsoever knowledge reason cannot at all worke upon & convert, is a meere intoxication and indangereth a dissolution of the minde & understanding.

But for the latter, it hath beene extreamely set on foote of late time by the Schoole of Paracelsus, and some others, that have pretended to finde the truth of all naturall Philosophy in the Scriptures; scandalizing and traducing all other Philosophie: as Heathenish and Prophane: But there is noe such enmitie betweene Gods word, and his workes. Neither doe they give honour to the Scriptures, as they suppose, but much imbase them. For to seeke heaven and earth in the word of God, Whereof it is saide, Heaven and Earth shall passe, but my worde shall not passe, is to seeke temporary things amongst eternall; And as to seeke Divinitie in Philosophy, is to seeke the living amongst the dead; So to seeke Philosophy in Divinitie is to seek the dead amongst the living; Neither are ye Pots or Lavers, whose place was in the outward part of the Temple to be sought in the holiest place of all, where the Arke of the testimonie was seated. And againe the scope or purpose of the spirit of God is not to expresse matters of Nature in the Scriptures, otherwise then in passage, and for application to mans capacitie and to matters morall or Divine. And it is a true Rule, Authoris aliud agentis parva authoritas. For it were a strange conclusion, if a man should use a similitude for ornament or illustration sake, borrowed from Nature or historie, according to vulgar conceit, as of a Basiliske, an Unicorne, a Centaure, a Briareus, an Hydra or the like, that therefore hee must needes bee thought to affirme the matter thereof positively to be true; To conclude therefore these two Interpretations, the one by reduction or Aenigmaticall, the other Philosophicall or Phisicall, which have beene received and pursued in imitation of the Rabbins and Cabalists, are to be confined with a Noli altum sapere, sed time.

But the two later points knowne to God, and unknowne to Man; touching the secrets of the heart. and the successions of time: doth make a just and sound difference betweene the manner of the exposition of the Scriptures: and all other bookes. For it is an excellent observation which hath beene made upon the answeres of our Saviour Christ to many of the questions which were propounded to him, how that they are impertinent to the state of the question demanded, the reason whereof is, because not being like man, which knowes mans thoughts by his words, but knowing mans thoughts immediately, hee never answered their words, but their thoughts: much in the like manner it is with the Scriptures, which being written to the thoughts of men, and to the succession of all ages, with a foresight of all heresies, coatradictions, differing estates of the Church, yea, and particularly of the elect, are not to be interpreted only according to the latitude of the proper sense of the place, and respectively towardes that present occasion, whereupon the wordes were uttered; or in precise congruitie or contexture with the wordes before or after, or in contemplation of the principall scope of the place, but have in themselves not onely totally, or collectively, but distributively in clauses and wordes, infinite springs and streames of doctrine to water the Church in everie part, and therefore as the literall sense is as it were the maine streame or River: So the Morall sense chiefely, and sometimes the Allegoricall or Typicall are they whereof the Church hath most use: not that I wish men to be bold in Allegories, or Indulgent or light in Allusions: but that I doe much condemne that Interpretation of the Scripture, which is onely after the manner as Men use to interprete a prophane booke.

In this part touching the exposition of the Scriptures, I can report noe deficience; but by way of remembrance this I will adde, In perusing Bookes of Divinitie, I finde many Bookes of controversies, and many of common places and treatises, a masse of positive Divinitie, as it is made an Arte: a number of Sermons and Lectures, and many prolixe commentaries upon the Scriptures with harmonies and concordances: but that forme of writing in Divinitie, which in my Judgement is of all others most rich and precious; is positive Divinitie collected upon particular Texts of Scriptures in briefe observations, not dilated into common places: not chaseing after controversies, not reduced into Methode of Art, a thing abounding in Sermons, which will vanish, but defective in Bookes which wil remaine, and a thing wherin this age excelleth. For I am perswaded, and I may speake it, with an Absit invidia verbo, and no waies in derogation of Antiquitie but as in a good emulation betweene the vine and the olive, That if the choise, and best of those observations upon Texts of Scriptures which have beene made dispersedly in Sermons within this your33Emanationes Scripturarum, in doctrinas Positivas. Majesties Ilands of Brittanie by the space of these fortie yeares and more (leaving out the largenesse of exhortations and applications thereupon) had beene set downe in a continuance, it had beene the best worke in Divinitie, which had beene written since the Apostles times.

The matter informed by Divinitie is of two kinds, matter of beliefe, and truth of opinion: and matter of service, and adoration; which is also judged and directed by the former: The one being as the internall soule of Religion, & the other as the externall body thereof: & therfore the heathen Religion was not onely a worship of Idolls, but the whole Religion was an Idoll in it selfe, for it had noe soule that is, no certaintie of belief or confession, as a man may well thinke, considering the chiefe Doctors of their Church were the Poets, and the reason was, because the heathen Gods were noe Jealous Gods, but were glad to be admitted into part, as they had reason. Neither did they respect the purenesse of hart, so they mought have externall honour and rites.

But out of these two doe result and issue foure maine branches of Divinitie; Faith, Manners, Lyturgie, and Government: Faith containeth the Doctrine of the Nature of God, of the attributes of God, and of the workes of God; The nature of God consisteth of three persons in unitie of God-head; The attributes of God are either common to the deitie, or respective to the persons; The workes of God summarie are two, that of the Creation, and that of the Redemption: And both these workes, as in Totall they appertaine to the unitie of the God-head: So in their parts they referre to the three persons: That of the Creation in the Masse of the Matter to the father, in the disposition of the forme to the Sonne, and in the continuance and conservation of the being to the Holy spirit: So that of the Redemption, in the election and counsell to the Father, in the whole Act and consummation, to the Sonne: and in the application to the Holy spirit: for by the Holy Ghost was Christ conceived in flesh, and by the Holy Ghost are the Elect regenerate in spirite. This worke likewise we consider either effectually in the Elect, or privately in the reprobate, or according to apparance in the visible Church.

For manners, the Doctrine thereof is contained in the lawe, which discloseth sinne. The lawe it selfe is devided according to the edition thereof, into the lawe of Nature, the lawe Morall, and the lawe Positive; and according to the stile, into Negative and Affirmative, Prohibitions and Commandements. Sinne in the matter and subject thereof is devided according to the Commandements, in the forme thereof it referreth to the three persons in deitie, Sinnes of Infirmitie against the father, whose more speciall attribute is Power: Sinnes of Ignorance against the Sonne, whose attribute is wisedome: and sinnes of Malice against the Holy Ghost, whose attribute is Grace or Love. In the motions of it, it either mooveth to the right hand or to the left, either to blinde devotion, or to prophane & libertine transgression, either in imposing restraint, where God granteth libertie, or in taking libertie where God imposeth restrainte. In the degrees and progresse of it, it devideth it selfe into thought, word, or Act. And in this part I commend much the diducing of the Lawe of God to cases of conscience, for that I take indeede to bee a breaking, and not exhibiting whole of the bread of life. But that which quickneth both these Doctrines of faith and Manners is the elevatition and consent of the heart, whereunto appertaine bookes of exhortation, holy meditation, christian resolution, and the like.

For the Lyturgie or service, it consisteth of the reciprocall Acts betweene God and Man, which on the part of God are the Preaching of the word and the Sacraments, which are seales to the covenant, or as the visible worde: and on the part of Mans Invocation of the name of God, and under the law: Sacrifices, which were as visible praiers or confessions, but now the adoration being in Spiritu & veritate there remaineth only vituli labiorum, although the use of holy vowes of thankefulnesse and retribution, may be accounted also as sealed petitions.

And for the Government of the Church, it consisteth of the patrimonie of the church, the franchises of the Church, and the offices, and jurisdictions of the Church, and the Lawes of the Church directing the whole: All which have two considerations; the one in them selves: the other how they stand compatible and agreeable to the Civill Estate.

This matter of Divinitie is handled either in forme of instruction of truth: or in forme of confutation of falshood. The declinations from Religion besides the primitive which is Atheisme and the Branches thereof, are three, Heresies, Idolatrie, and Witch-craft, Heresies, when we serve the true God with a false worship. Idolatrie, when wee worship false Gods, supposing them to be true: and Witch-craft, when wee adore false Gods knowing them to be wicked and false. For so your Majestie doth excellently well observe, that Witch-craft is the height of Idolatry. And yet we see thogh these be true degrees, Samuel teacheth us that they are all of a nature, when there is once a receding from the word of God, for so he saith, Quasi Peccatum ariolandi est repugnare, & quasi scelus Idololatriæ nolle acquiescere.

These thinges I have passed over so briefely because I can report noe deficience concerning them: For I can finde no space or ground that lieth vacant and unsowne in the matter of Divinitie, so diligent have men beene, either in sowing of good seede, or in sowing of Tares.