The Diseases of the Time, Chapter 6
CHAP. VI. Against their Phrensie, that affirme a blind beliefe to be the Soule of Christianity: and make Christians to be meere slaues of Authoritie.
THere is gone forth a saying, but it is among the brethren of Errour, (and I take it the foresaid Doctors writings are not cleare of it) That the Empire of Authority is in Religion, and that a blind Credo is a fundamentall Law of it. But that this is a blasphemous vntruth, both the experimentall and documentall knowledge of Religion can plainly manifest. Let morall and naturall Men bragge of their Arts and Sciences, their demonstrations and reasons, and I will yet maintaine, wee hold Religion by a more Reasonable hand, and clearer Wisedome, then they doe their Arts and Sciences.
And first, I giuegive them to know that the true liuely and substantiall Faith of a Christian is not an effect of blindnes, nor a meere worke of the will, that beleeues because it will beleeue; but therein the vnderstanding plainly, cleerly; yea, by the highest kinde of sight discerneth that which it deliuereth ouer to the Will and Affections to bee embraced and depended on. And if Religion see and know that whereunto it trusteth, and trusteth to that which it seeth and knoweth, and if she know by the purest and Diuinest knowledge, what more reasonable thing can bee imagined then this, That a man should trust in that which by a most excellent Knowledge hee knowes most worthy to bee trusted in.
Now that a true Faith is grounded in Knowledge, Religion both by word and experience teacheth. The Apostle describing Faith, sayth plainly of it, That it is the Euidence of things not seene, that is, by Faith wee see Spiritually things vnseene Carnally. Now I hope, where is sight and euidence, there is not blindnesse and darknesse. Againe, when Peter confessed Iesus to be the Christ, Christ tells him that flesh and bloud hath not reuealed it to him, but his Father in Heauen, and I trow had not Peter reason to beleeue in Christ, when the Father in Heauen had reuealed him; and hauehave the Artists any such euidences of the ground of their Arts. Againe, Ioh. 17. This is life eternall to know thee to be very God, and hee whom thou hast sent, Christ Iesus▪ So Christ must be knowen before he become our Life eternall. And Ioh. 10. I know my sheepe and I am knowne of mine. And 1. Cor. 2.10. The reason of this our Knowledge is shewed, God hath reuealed to vsus by his Spirit the things that hee hath prepared for vsus. And ver. 12. Wee hauehave receiued the Spirit of God by which wee know the things that are freely giuen vsus of God. And Vers. 15. A man made Spirituall discerneth all things; and himselfe is iudged of no man that is not Spirituall, for how can a blind man iudge the sight of a seer? And therefore euen in this point which I now defend, wee may well scorne to be iudged by blinde naturall Men, that know not our fight, and therefore know not the things which they gainsay, but euen for that cause deny them to bee. Furthermore, Paul, Eph. 1. speakes of the Spirit of Wisdome and Reuelation, by which the eies of our vnderstandings may be inlightned, to know the riches of our calling, and the great Power of God in the resurrection of Christ. And to conclude (excluding many more) with an euident testimony; let vsus consider that of the second to the Cor. 3.18. We all with open Face beholding as in a Glasse, the glory of the Lord, are changed vntounto the same Image, from glory to glory as by the Spirit of the Lord: which is presently followed in the next Chapter with these words: That God who commanded Light to shine out of Darknesse, hath shined in our hearts to giuegive the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the Face of Iesus Christ: which indeed is but a Comentarie of Christs short words, Ioh. 14.21. He that loues mee; I will shew my selfe visibly vntounto him. Now if God hauehave so shined visibly in our hearts, that by the beames of his light we hauehave a knowledge of his glorious worke of our Redemption in Christ Iesus; yea, if Christ hath shewed himselfe plainly to vsus, who can hinder vsus to beleeue that wee know, euen to beleeue in an all-sufficient Sauiour, reuealed to vsus by the transcendent Light of an omnipotent Creator. Therfore will wee triumph in the reasonablenesse of our Beleefe, wee will boldly tell the naturall Man, Quod vidimus testamur, and we worship that which we know. We will answere with Peter (Ioh. 8.) Wee beleeue and know that thou art Christ the Sonne of the liuing God. And let the heart of eueryevery true Christian speake what it sees, and it cannot but affirme that it seeth an admirable wisedome in the mysterie of Saluation, it beholdeth Christ a most absolute Redeemer, and Christ shines to him in an incomparable Beauty as the fayrest of Men; And this euidence is not without a seale, for hee feeles power accompanying Light. A new Light hee hath, which some yeeres before he had not, and a new power hee hath felt to follow that Light. The things which now seeme glorious to him and are his chiefest Treasures, were before contemptible, and holinesse which before was loathsome, is now his chiefest delight. And whence can such a change come, that a man should be cleane turned out of himselfe, but by a hand that turneth hearts as Riuers of waters. Therefore truely may it be said, that the Light of Faith is sealed by the Spirit of Promise: Ephes. 1.13. So that we beleeue the Truth, not only by a single promise but euen with a witnesse.
But the naturall Man will obiect two things. First, That this Sight of ours is but an Imagination, and wee see only because we thinke we doe see; but we answere first, That he that denyes our sight is himselfe blind, and therefore cannot see that wee doe not see. Salomon sayth, the Foole walketh in darknesse, but a Wise man hath his eyes in his head. Now Salomons Foole is a Naturall man, and the Wise man is a man Sanctified, and how can the Foole finde by his darknesse that the Wise man finds nothing by his Light? It is no argument that I doe not see, because his blindnesse cannot perceiue my Sight. But he will hauehave mee prooue it to him that I see, But I answere, that though I should prooue it, he cannot conceiue it. For my selfe is Spirituall and he is Carnall; and if I describe to him a Spirituall sight or obiect, his carnalitie cannot conceiue a Spirituall kind of seeing, but euen the sight of the Spirituall man is folly to the Carnall man. If there were a people of perpetuall blindnesse, and a seeing man should come among them, and tell them what glory there is in the Sunne, the Moone, and the Starres, I wonder by what Argument his sight can proue it to their blindnesse, for whatsoeuer his sight affirmeth, their blindnesse will eyther doubt or deny. And indeed except a man can communicate sight, hee can hardly communicate an Image of his seeing. And as a blind man on the one side cannot receiue vndenyable proofes of Light and sight, but the beliefe thereof must bee fundamentally grounded vponupon a trust of the Reporter, (and this indeed may be the blind belief which he meanes, which is indeed the beliefe of the blind beleeuers, and not of the seeing, and therefore is not true beliefe.) So on the other side to proue the brightnesse and beauty of Light to one that sees, is as friuolous and vaine as the other impossible. If hee should come to a man of sight in a cleare and cloudlesse day, and beginne with him thus, Sr, I assure you the Sunne shines, and I can proue it by most euident reasons: the hearer would doubt more of the Speakers discretion then of his assertion. So it is among the Children of Light. Christ Iesus the Sonne of Righteousnes, the Obiect of their Faith shines on their hearts with an open face, and for one of these to come to another, and to tell him that Christ Iesus is the Sonne of God, the head of the Church, and the Sauiour of his body, that in him are hid the treasures of true wisedome and happinesse, he would answere as Elisha to the Prophets, speaking of the translation of his Master: I know it well, hold you your peace.
And this was long agone prophesied, that such Demonstrations should bee needlesse among the sonnes of GOD: For it was foretold, that true Beleeuers should be all taught of God, and his teaching should saue the neede of humane Inforcements: Againe, this is an excellent proofe, that there is one generall Teacher by a Diuine Light, illuminating the Church (and it giues great comfort to the members of it) that in some matters of Religion, one man beeing many hundred myles distant, or borne many hundred yeares after another, receiueth some bright euident and glorious Truth, which he seeth plainly to bee true and heauenly, but receiueth it not of man by hearing or reading, but of God alone by Meditation, and yet he shall meet with another man so farre from him, or with some workes of one so farre afore him, which will tell the same Truths, as being by that one Teacher also reuealed vntounto them.
Againe, there were among the Martyrs and Fathers, men of as great and sound vnderstanding as any of these Wizards are; yea, they hauehave at first as much contemned and reiected Christ by their naturall knowledge, yet at length they hauehave changed their minds and hauehave sought him as ardently as before they contemned him despitefully. Now you cannot imagine that they would hauehave forsaken the light of their naturall Reason, but that they saw a more glorious Light, neyther would they hauehave spared their Candle, but vponupon the rising of the Sunne. And surely these Seers doe as much wonder at the naturall mans, not seeing as the not-seers at the seeing. But the God of this World hath blinded their eyes that the glorious Light of the Gospell should not shine vntounto them, and this blindnesse cannot bee taken away by Arguments, and being taken away, Arguments are needlesse. And this must bee thought the true Reason why in the Councell of Nice, the Reasons of the learned Fathers could not preuayle with the Heathen Philosopher, yet the playne narration of the Faith by a simple Priest preuayled. The vayle of the flesh lay on his heart, and their Reasons could not take it away, but the Spirit of God tooke it away, & then the euidēce of a plain proposed truth perwaded him. And indeed God only hath the Key which vnlockes the heart, and that is the spirit; Eloquence and Logicall Demonstration are not those Keyes which may open the Soule. That which is fastned in our generation, must be loosed by Regeneration, & the remedie must bee equiualent; yea, preualent to the Disease. It may not bee a naked, bare and vnactiue word, that may cure the deed of excecation done to the heart, but it must be an operatiue forcible and effectual word that speaks what it does, and does what it speakes. If such a Word say, let there bee light there shall be light; and then the light of our soules shall see the great Obiect of our Soules, the perfect Light Christ Iesus. But before this light and sight bee created in vsus, let that Infinite Light shine right into the eyes of blindnesse and darknesse, the darknesse will neuer comprehend it: And euen to them that see they will deny their sight, and sweare that they are blind also. But whither it be fit for vsus to beleeue their blindnesse, or our owne sight, let eueryevery man iudge. In their owne wisdome they will hold, That Sensus non fallitur circa obiectum, And by that will prooue the Sunne shines, or the Swan is white, because the vnhindered fence hath apprehended it to be so.
And why should not wee enioy the same priuiledge, and say much more? That a soule clarified and illuminated by the purest spirit, is not deceiued in spirituall Obiects, but as Salomon saith, it seeth more and more truely then seuen men on a Watch-towre, and as Paul saith, The spirituall man discerneth spiritual things. Surely the spiritual eye as properly and as naturally seeth spirituall things, as the bodily eye doth bodily things; yea, it should doe it better and more assuredly, because this spirituall sight came more newly & immediately from the Maker, but our fight comes from him to vsus through many men, and many infirmities of those men much soyled and dimmed.
And here comes in fitly to be answered a second Obiection, which is an Imputation of captiuitie, vndergone by our vnderstandings in the matter of Faith. To this I answere, That in true Religion it is not a brutish captiuitie, by which the vnderstanding yeelds vp her eyes to be put out, & herselfe to bee blindfold; but the vnderstanding receiuing a better sight, yeelds vp the worse, and so doth not loose her light, but change it for a better; yea, it changeth captiuitie for freedome; for euen that blindnesse that captiuated is, is led into captiuity, but the vnderstanding is more free then before, as an eye that is freed from blindnesse. For the Sonne by his Spirit hath freed vsus from that naturall darknesse wherein we were borne, 2. Cor. 3 16, 17. But they will re-inforce this Obiection from the vsuall forme of teaching young or new Christians. Their first instruction they say, is to beleeue, and they take Credo for their beginning. But do Christians herein otherwise then other Teachers of Sciences. It is knowne for a Maxime, without the bonds of Religion, Oportet discentem credere, Hee that learnes an Arte must at first beleeue the Teacher of the Arte, and then after being skilfull in his Arte, hee may looke himselfe into the truth of his Art. So in Christianity, at first Religion must be receiued vponupon trust, but this is by Learners only, not true and formed Christians.
The Church must at first teach her Children vntill they be taught by Christ, and then indeed they are only true and formed Christians when Christ himselfe hath taught them. Some of the Samaritans beleeued the woman at first concerning Christ, but being taught by Christ, they went beyond that beliefe, and beleeued himselfe: and they adde their Reason, Wee now know that he is the Christ. So is Knowledge still the kindly foundation of our Religion, which heerein out-strips other Arts. For the yong beginners must at first beleeue the Artists themselues, and proceeding farther, must generally vponupon trust beleeue principles (which they hold most from Aristotle, who as the Doctor saith in his Preface, is often contrary to himselfe, and exceeds in grosse absurdities all them that went before him.) And if some transcendent spirits shake off trust and authority, and search the Fountaines of things, they find that the Principles themselues are indemonstrable, and what cannot be demonstrated I hope must bee taken vponupon blind beliefe. But this fauour they will not allow vntounto Christians, neyther doe wee much desire it, for we see and know our selues what we beleeue, & whereof wee affirme, and wee see by the highest, purest, and most vndeceiueable light, and we want not the Glow-worm of demonstration to tell vsus, that wee see the chiefest Light Christ Iesus by our Faith, and the light which wee see is the same Light by which wee see. Herein only is the trouble, that we cannot communicate our sight vntounto blindesse, and they will not allow vsus to beleeue by seeing, what for want of seeing they cannot beleeue. Therfore when with Stephen, we say, that we see Christ Iesus sitting at the right hand of God: the blinde Wizards are ready to throw stones at vsus for confessing what we see, or for seeing that which is hid from them.
But though our Reasons cannot open their eyes, yet God who brought Light out of Darknesse can doe it, and therefore wee pray vntounto him with the Prophet for his Seruant, Lord open their eyes, and then with Balaam, that illuminated Wizard falling into a trance, with their eyes opened they may vtter their Parable; There comes a Starre out of Iacob, and a Scepter out of Israel, out of Iacob shall he come that shall hauehave Dominion.