Examination of those Plausible Appearances in the Romish Church, Chapter 3
CHAP. III. That the vnderstanding troubled by the affections of the heart, alwaies findeth pretences, to make it selfe beleeue that which it desireth should be true.
IT is not so, for all this, that this ignorance wanteth colour, which giueth it at least the aspect, and complexion of a true knowledge, insomuch that it deceiueth him who hath it, and oftentimes others also. a1 Cor. 1.23.The Paynims puffe… vp with a conceipt of their owne wisedome, esteemed the doctrines of Christian Religion to be meere dotages. bVidesis Apolog. Ch…stian. … Ge…t…s viz: duas Ap…log. Iustini d…s…er: Tatiani …heoph C…em. Alex. Tertul. in Ap…log. Arnob. Minut. F…lic. Lactan. Ioseph. cont. A…pion. Cyp…ian cont, Dem…t. N…zi…n co…. …ulian.To this purpose they alledged all that which reason blinded with passion could furnish them with, albeit that in their superstition they beleeved many things much more repugnant to humane reason. They alle…ged Antiquity, and yet all the Pagan superstition sprang vp long after the truth. Had we but the …earned discourse of Iosephus against Appion, it is enough to instruct vsus that that wisdome so much vaunted of was of late birth in comparison to th…t of God, to that of the Church. They alleaged a…so their cMinut. Fel. Arno… lib 7. Te…tul Apolog. cap 22·miracles, their prodigious wonders, their oracles, t…e dArnob. lib. 1. Cyprian. contr. Dem…t. Maxim. Im…er. in edict. …useb Eccles. …. ab. 9. c. 7.disasters which befell the world after the publication of Christianity: as if it had not beene confir…ed by many, and most admirable miracles against the contemners of it: as if it had not bin promised, & spokē of long before by oracles far exceeding theirs in clearnesse, antiquity, and truth: as if whilst the Pagan superstition flourished the world had not smarted vnderunder the same evills, which it felt since the preaching of th… Gospell, or as if it had felt more tolerable plagues. And as i… this multiplication of evills were not rather to be attributed to the contempt of so excellent a gra…e t… t…e butcherie, and martyring of so many poore soules guilty of nothing but Christianity, blamelesse in all other respects, living not so much like men,Symmach li 10. epi…t. …. as Angels.
If you please but to read the relation of Symmachus to t…e Emperours Theodosius, Valentinian, and Arcadius apologizing for Paganisme, you shal find there were never grosser vntruthes invented, nor yet more like vntounto truth: that nothing could be spoken with more impiety, or more plausibility, the author being as eloquent, as he was irreligious.
These poore Paynims little thought they maintained a bad cause; their affection to it made them mistake it for good. eTertul Apol. cap. 49.They excused that in Paganisme, which in Christianity they esteemed a folly, a crime, a sacriledge· For Paganisme they enslaved their vnderstandings, & busied them to search out reasons against reason, in it they swallowed even Elephants. On the contrary in the Christian Religion they accuratly strained, and sifted every circumstance: the propension of their affections swayed them to an approofe of the Religion of their fSym. in rel…Ancestours, forbade them to condemne so many braue spirits of ignorance, to remoue the bounds which the renowned Ancients had fixed, to tumble into the hazard of ruine, and confusion (so they imagined) their Empire, and gMecaen. apud Dion. lib. 52.Common-wealth which never receiveth such violent tosses, nor ever feeleth such furious shaking-fits as when alterations in matter of Religion are stirring in it. Having vponupon these considerations conceived a hatred against Christianity, it was easie for them afterward to invent more prejudices against it.
hAct. 3.17. 1. Cor. 2 6.The Iewes for the most part blindly condemned Christ, and his doctrine. iIoh. 7.17.But if any one will doe the will of my father (saith the Lord vntounto them) he shall iudge of the doctrine: noting thereby, that the primary cause of their malicious ignorance was the corruption of their hearts. Yet they were not to seeke for pretences. They opposed against him kMark 7.5. Math. 15.2.antiquity, lIoh 8 33.succession, mR…m 11.the promises made vntounto them, nMa…k. 1.27.the strangenesse, and novelty of his doctrine, oIoh 6 42. Mat. 13.…5. Ioh 7 49.the contemptible condition of himselfe, his disciples, and followers. But the cause of this evill lay deeper, inveterated even with in their marrow, pAct ….5.an invincible hardnesse of heart, qGal. 1.14.an obstinate resolution not to let goe their hold of the superstition of their forefathers.