A Stay Against Straying, Part 2 · Section 12
SECT. 12.
THe 12. Objection followes thus: The Scriptures of the Old and New Teſtament warne Gods people of falſe Prophets; vvhichwhich the Miniſters of that Church are, having an unlawfull calling.
To this he thus replies: Treat.1. They warn not to hearken to them, nor to beleeve them; But to try them, which without hearing them, cannot be done. Not that all falſe Prophet are to be heard by all, that they might try them; For that were to tempt God: But now I anſwer*Not as Apollo anſwered the Iewes by the Scriptures Act. 18. ult. for ſo he could not: ſeeing hee writes againſt them. the Scriptures cited; which speake of Prophets in the true Church, which were to be heard, till they were orderly repreſſed, or at least plainly diſcovered by their Doctrine heard to be ſuch.
Anſw. The ſouldiers which ſerved Marcus Antonius, fell unawares on an Herbe *Appian. de Bell. Parth., the vvhichwhich greatly diſtempered their heads. To ſay, vvhat my mind gives me, it vvas an unhappie thing, that ever the Treat. found out this Wild gourd, for it much weakned his large abilities, and cauſed him in this point, to be no more like the man, that he was, when he was againſt it; Then an apple is like a nut.‡We cannot apply the ſaying in the Greeke Proverbe to him foreign. Our later thoughts be wiſer then our firſt. For here he rather ſtriveth then teacheth; As Ierom. confeſſeth of himſelfe, beeing reproved by ſome, for writing ſome thing against lovinian (as the Treat: doth against us) by way of contention, rather then of Doctrine, Hierom, in Apolog. ad Pammachiū pro libris adverſus Iovinian.
Some thing he would ſay here, but to profeſſe my owne ignorance, I doe not underſtand him.
For 1. he peremptorilie denies the whole Objection; and ſo conquently affirmes that all Falſe Prophets may be heard; yet preſently with the ſame breath, he unſayes what hee had ſayd before; And ſayes, all falſe Prophets are not to be he heard by all; And within 4 lines after, lets both ſayings fall againe, and ſayth, falſe Prophets, beeing diſcovered ſo to be, are not to bee heard. This is ſo deepe and inextricable a riddle for me to unfould, that I muſt confeſſe my ſelfe here Davus, not Oedipus. And therefore will leave it for what it is, and come to the defence of our A…gument.
1.*1 Cor. 6 15. Howſoever the Treat: in the point of hearing of falſe Prophets, is off, and on, ſo that no bodie by his words can well tell, what he held; yet, as I have before ſhewed,†Pag. 81. Gods Word damnes it utterly.
And to the former reaſons, theſe may be added, 1, That the members of Chriſt, and the members of Antichriſt, muſt not bee mingled together, but in all the points of Religious Communion, as Prayer, Propheſie, Preaching, &c. be ſeparated and apart. For to doe otherwiſe, is as great indignitie offered to God, as to take the members of the bodie, and make them the members of an Harlot.
2. Jt Chriſt, who in thoſe laſt dayes ſpeakes evidently by his Goſpell and Spirit, had judged it fit, that his Children ſhould goe unto falſe Churches, he would certainlly have made known the ſame to them.aCirill obſerveth that ſuch of the things done by Chriſt, are written, as the Writers thought to be ſufficient for manners and Doctrine. In Evang. Io. lib. 12. c. 68.
3. This ſeemeth much to eclipſe the glorie of Chriſts wiſedome and faythfulneſſe, in providing for the full and perfect inſtruction of his people in his owne Miniſterie: That they ſhould nevertheleſſe (like an unchaſt ſpouſe) goe out from, and make uſe of a ſtranger.‡An honeſt man would bee aſhamed to be ſeen to be familiar with an Harlot.
Moreover, for the Learned, they are againſt all hearing of all falſe Prophets, and ſpeake downe right, as the Word of God doth in the thing; I find in their writings, no ſuch falſe and idle diſtinction, as the Treat: deviſeth; namely, that ſome falſe Prophets may be heard; Others not.
As for the weaker ſort aPag. 17., and leſſe able to diſcern of things that differ: they muſt not heare them: but the ſtronger and wiſer may. As this is the idea of his owne head, ſo for ought truly I know he walkes alone in it. For, I am ſure, Calvin bSerm. againſt idol.. Muſculus cComment. in Mat. 7. ver. 15.,dIn Mat 7. 15. Pareus eComment. in Pſal. 16, p. 52., Zanchy fExplicat. in Philip. 3. v. 1. p. 174 Tom. 4., Fenner ginterp. Son: ch; 1; v. 7, 8;, Palladius hPoſtil; Dom. 8. Poſt. Trin; p. 256;, the Rhemiſts iAnnot. in 2 Cor. 6. 14; and 2 Ioh. 10., the Douay- tranſlaterskNotes on pſ. 16; p. 56; & on 2 King: 5; p. 941;, &c. thoſe ſpeak otherwiſe; yea, and ſome Elder Writers too. As Theodorus lL. 4; c. 14., Chriſoſtome mIn Mat. 7, v. 15., Euſebius nLib. 4; c. 22., and others.
Theſe ſay (as I before ſaid) that no falſe Prophet is to be heard, by any perſon whatſoever.
2. For thoſe two Scriptures, Deu. 13. 1. 1 Ioh: 4. 1. here brougth, to prove it Lawfull, to heare unlawfull Miniſters: They are as fitly brought, as were the two witneſſes brought againſt Chriſt, to prove him a tranſgreſſour.
For 1. the hearing, mentioned in thoſe places, reſpecteth only a true Church.
Againe, it concernes no hearing of falſe Prophets; but the godly are there admoniſhed to examine the Doctrines delivered to thē in a right way and order; And if they find any by teaching to bee a falſe Prophet, they are to depoſe him, and afterwards not to heare him againeoPopulus Chriſtianus detectis eorum erroribus fidem non habeat, aures ne praebeat, ſed tanquam lupos fugiat. Par: in Mat. 7. 15.; And thus our beſt Writers, interpret the places: as Frantzius Imlerus, Orinaus, Danaeus, Bugenhagius, Selneccer, Hunnius, Oecolampadius, and others.
Now, marke (good Reader) how this hangs together. If the Saints in a true Church may heare one that is not known, to bee a falſe Prophet, but afterwards by his unſound Doctrines plainly diſcovereth himſelfe ſo to be; Then may they goe unto a falſe Church, and heare one, whom they certainly know to be a falſe Prophet before they goe, &c. The expreſſion of it is conviction enought.*If it be a fit thing to uſe a Touch-ſtone, for triall of coyn, and that finding the ſame falſe, to refuſe it; then it is meet, to receive mony knowne to us to be counterfeit, and falſe. If this be abſurd, ſo is the other too.
The Treat: goes thus foreward. 2. No mans unlawfull outward calling, makes him a falſe Prophet; Nor his outward lawfull calling, a true; But his true or falſe Doctrine only, makes him a true or falſe Prophet. A man may have a Lawfull Office of Ministerie, and yet be a falſe Prophet: if he teach falſe Doctrine; ſo he may be a true Prophet, if he teach the truth, though in unlawfull and Antichristian ſtate of Miniſterie.
Anſvv. I never ſaw in my life, an errour held by a man of learning, that hath leſſe brought to countenance it then this; For whereas others commonly doe quote Scriptures (albeit ill applyed) & alleadge for themſelves the judgments of other men. He goes not this way to worke; But as if he had to deale only with Papiſts; we muſt take (as they muſt the PopesaDiſtinc. 40, c. 51. Papa. Decrees) his will for a reaſon, and meaſure things by the rules of his breaſt.
But ſurely ſuch kind of reaſoning will have little waight in the conſcience of any truely fearing God. For they wilbe loath to leave an old faith for a new fancie.
He ſayth, No mans unlawfull outward calling, makes him a falſe Prophet; But J ſay, it doth; And the ProphetsbNumb. 16. 2 Chro. 26. 1 King. 12. Son. 1 6. 7. Jer. 14. 14. & 23. 21 & 27. 15, ChriſtcMat. 7. 13., and his ApoſtlesdHeb. 5. 4. Rev. 2. 2. ſay ſo too. Perkins eExpoſit. on Chriſts ſerm: in the moūt. Mat. 7, v. 15. p. 239. vol. 3is held among all the Godlie Learned or a ſoled and judicious Writer; Now, what his judgement herein was, hee ſheweth it thus: The firſt note vvhichwhich we muſt make of a falſe Prophet is this; Namely, to come on his owne head; and to preach not beeing ſent; And by this marke are falſe Prophets noted, Jer. 14. 14. I have not ſent them, neither did J commaund them, and yet they Propheſied in my name.
And no leſſe doe theſe words of Chriſt import, they come unto you, that is of themſelves, without a calling from God and his Church, So he.
What he ſayth, is ſaid of HieromfComment. in Mat. 7. in Ier. 14. 14., Chryſostome g, Cyrill ‡in Mat. 7, Tom. 1., Pareus *Comment. in Mat. 7, 15., Luther hEnarrat. in Evang. Dom. Oct. Post. Trin: Tom. 5,, Pelargius iQuaest. Evang. p. 97., Aquinas kIn Comment: in Ier: 14, 14., Corvinus lPost: in Sexageſ. p. 54:, Bullinger mComment: in Ier: 14. 14., Ferus nin Io. 10, p. 239., Guiliaudus oIn Epheſ. 1, p. 292., Bugenhagius pComment: in Jer: 14, 14., Toletus qIn Jo: 10, p. 599., Topiar r…ſt: Dom: S, Poſt: Trin: p. 73., Hoffmister sHomil. in Evang. Dom. 9, poſt:, and others.
Againe, if an unlawfull outward calling, make an unlawfull Miniſter; then it makes a falſe Prophet; For according to the Scriptures, it is all one thing, only expreſſed in ſundrie tearmes.
The Treat.‡ Divine & Mor: Obſerv: pag: 60. tels us that their ſinne is great, and full of preſumption, who ſhorten and strengthen the Scriptures to make way for their owne deviſes.
This fault he commits here himſelfe; For where the Scriptures take all for falſe Prophets, which are unlawfull Miniſters, he (to make way for his owne deviſe) will reſtraine the appellation to ſuch as erre only in Doctrine. And thus he makes good the rule, which Logicians terme de omni & de nullo, as if true in the general, but not in the particular; As if true, that all unlawfull Miniſters in the ſence of the Scriptures, are falſe Prophets; yet ſuch as are unlawfull Miniſters in reſpect of their unlawfull outward calling, are not falſe Prophets.
Laſtly, I would know, whether Corah burning true inſence, and Ieroboams Preiſts, offering true ſacrifices, were falſe Prophets: if they were, (as no rationall man will denie,) then the other followeth conſequently.
But J geſſe what cauſed this errour in the Treat: hee found in the Scriptures, that ſome are falſe Prophets, becauſe of their falſe Doctrines; Hence hee concluded, there were no other falſe Prophets; But it followes not, unleſſe a man will ſay, he that robs a houſe, is a theife; Ergo, there are no theeves, but Houſe-Robbers. The which thing, whoſoever holds, ſhalbe Paralogizer, a deluder of his owne ſoule‡And this may ſerue for anſwer to the Pistle maker; who incloſing up of his Epiſtle, crows out; Like a Cock of the game that hath beaten all his fellowes out of place, now let them tell us, where they find in the Scripture, that men are named falſe Prophets, for want of a true outward calling; Forſooth here we ſhew it, if you have eyes to ſee it, and grace to uſe it well..
Touching the other point; he ſpeakes (foreign) in conſideratelie, for to ſay, No mans outward Lawfull calling makes him a true Prophet; For as in Wedlock a woman is truely a wife immediatelie upon the action of her Lawfull marriage; yea though ſhe ſhould afterward never doe the duties of a wife; So he is a true Eccleſiaſticall Officer, incontinently upon his outward lawfull calling, Let his practiſes afterwards be good or bad; The reaſon is, becauſe his adminiſtrations after his calling, as prayer, preaching, &c. gives nothing to the formall beeing of it; As I have ſhewed elſe-wheretNeceſſit. Separ. p. 236..
His words following are: Treat.Balaam*Num. 22 & 25. Ioſh. 13. 21. 2 Pet 2, 15. 16. Rev. 2 14. Num. 25. 5. 9. 10, &c. And chap. 24. 2 3, &c. was a falſe Prophet, in curſing (in purpoſe) where God would have him bleſſe, and in teaching Balak, to put a ſtumbling block before the people of Iſraell; and yet a true Prophet in bleſſing Iſrael, by the ſpirit of Propheſie, and Word of the Lord put into his mouth.
Anſw. Would men receive his ſayings, as they doe gould and ſilver, by due triall and proofe, they ſhould find reaſon enought to refuſe them, & turn them back; Now, for the falſenes of this *Ea doceat Epiſcopus quae a Deo didicerit, non ex proprio corde. Let the B. teach thoſe things, which he hath learned of God; And not of his own heart or fancy.. My anſwer to it, ſhalbee in the words of another man uAtterſol hiſt. of Barak and Balaam. on Numb. 22. p. 8 11.: We know no mean between true Prophets and falſe, for whoſoever is not a true Prophet, is a falſe Prophet; and whoſoever is a falſe Prophet, cannot be a true Prophet of God. He that is of God, is a true Prophet; He that is of the Devill, is a falſe Prophet; Neither doth the†Marke this well, for it ſhewes all the Treat: anſwer to be caecum inſomnium, a vaine dreame and nothing elſe. DELIVERIE AND UTTERANCE OF SOME TRUTH, MAKE HIM A TRUE PROPHET; For then the Devill ſhould be a true Prophet, who ſometimes ſpeaketh the truth; albeit to a ſineſter end. And a little after, he concludeth thus: Balaam was a uery Witch, a Wizard, a falſe Prophet, a true ſorcerer, famous or rather infamous, for his Deviliſh Magick, which he practiſed among the wicked idolatrous Nation, So Atterſol. And manie others write ſo too; As IuniusxAnnal Expli. Num. 22. p. 109., SymſonyExpoſit. on 2 Pet. 2; v. 16; p. 372., FeruszComment in Numb. 22. Canutusaibid.; and before them, Origenbibid., Greg Nazianzencibid., Baſildibid..
Againe, as hee writes againſt the truth; ſo againſt himſelfe. For in Pag. 70. 71.*A Letter ſent to London, written by the Treat. he ſaith, to name men idolaters, adulterers, murderers, &c. becauſe they doe ſome acts of idolatrie, murder, theift, &c. agrees neither with Chriſtianitie, nor civility, but is a conſequence and collection made without rule of Charitie,Hierom: diſtinct. 36. ca. fin. or ground of Truth. Yet ſee (aliud ſtants, aliud ſedens,) How he is one while for the thing, another while againſt it. Balaam delivereth ſome truths: Therefore he muſt be a true Prophet. But if another (cum Care Carizas) doe reaſon after the ſame ſort, hee cals it (and that rightlie) a conſequence made without ground of truth.*Teſtimonium tuum, quod aliena re leue eſt, hoc contra re grave, &c Thine owne teſtimonie, which in another caſe is of ſmall weight, but this againſt thy ſelfe is of great moment. Tull.
3. Whereas Balaam in 2. Pet. 2. 16. is ſaid to be a Prophet: the Apoſtle meanes a falſe Prophet. And the like we read in other placese2 Kin. 3. 13. Hoſ. 9. 8. See Iun. notes, on the place., not that the name (Prophet) is due to them; But given them ironicallie, that is, becauſe they falſelie aſſume itfNon quibus hoc nomen vere congruebat, ſed qui illud arroganter & falſo ſibi ſummebant. Bright…. Comment. in Cant. Cant. cap. 4. fol. 78. & 16. T. W. Expoſ. upon the Booke of the Cantic. pag. 18., glorie in the title, and willinglie would be ſo reputed and taken. For the other Scriptures in the margine, I know not for what end they were quoted, unleſſe to ſhevv the reader, in how many places he may find the word Balaam, in the Old & New Teſtament.
The Treat. goes on thus: He is a Prophet that speakes or declares a thing paſt, preſent or to come. And to propheſie in our ſence, is nothing elſe but to ſpeake to edification, exhortation and comfort. He that doth this is a true Prophet; He that speakes the contrarie, a falſe.
Anſw. Men pleading for errour, are driven oft times to uſe that kind of reaſoning, which in Scholes they call fallacia ex ignorantione veri Elenchi: which is to change the ſtate of the queſtion, and to draw Concluſions contrarie to the true rules of the axiomes, or propoſitions diſputed off. The Treat. is fallen into this fault: For whereas our queſtion is onlie about hearing in Church-way, and of Church-Officers; Hee alters quite the ſtate of the point; and ſpeakes of hearing at large. As if we ſhould queſtion, whether Hearing ſimplie bee unlawfull; and not rather hearing with certaine adjuncts: That is, in an Antichristian Church, of a falſe Miniſter, & the like.
But to come to his anſwer. 1. What it is to Propheſie in his ſence ‡The Trea. wrote once that no Scripture juſtines preaching out of a true Church; much leſſe in a falſe Church; juſtificat: Separ: p. 73., I know not, neither doe I inquire after. For it is ſufficient for me to know what Propheſie is, and what true Prophets are, in the ſence of the Scriptures.
In the Booke of God, I find true Prophets to be taken three wayes. 1. Strictly, for one, who from the inward counſell of God could foretell things to comegGen. 20. 17; Numb. 12 6; Deu. 18 55.. 2. For Lawfull Paſtors and Teachers in the Churches of ChriſthMat. 10. 41. 1 Theſ. 5. 20; Rev 11, 6;. 3. And more largely; For ſuch private membersi1 Cor. 14; Rom. 12. 6., of particular Churches, as have received the gift of the interpretation of the Scriptures, and ſo are able to ſpeake to edification; exhortation and comfort. Of no other true Prophets doe I read in all the Scripture: Seing therfore the Preiſts he pleads for, are not of any of theſe ranckskQuae. in what ranck of Prophets unlawfull Miniſters are; And under what Scripture they are comprehended. I would hauehave a private Chriſtian aſke this queſtion of ſome learned divine, whome hee knowes doth hold it lawfull to heare falſe Miniſters. And it is very likely he will anſwer him by deepe ſilence.: Then needs muſt they be falſe Prophets, and ſo conſequently not to bee heard.
2.Againe in p. 77. He ſayth, No mā teached the Goſpell, but was a member of a true Church. For the other part of his anſwer; Which is, hee that teacheth falſe Doctrine, is a falſe Prophet. Here I thinke wee muſt take his meaning, and leave his words; But what he meanes J know not; And therefore will caſt it aſide; only here is a fitt place to propound a queſtion or two. 1 Whether to hold, teach, and practice the errours and lies conteyned in their Canons, Service-Booke, Bookes of Articles, and the Ordering of Bb. Preists and Deacons, doe make a falſe Prophet. 2. Whether to hide from the people the knowledge of all the main truths, which concerne the outward regiment of Chriſts viſible Church, make a falſe Prophet. 3. Whether it bee Lawfull to heare any falſe Prophet, known ſo to belThere is one queſtion more, viz. whether the Lords Lawfull Preiſts, which ſerved at the Altar in Ieruſalem, mought not as well urge their people to heare Ieroboams Preiſt at Dun and Bethel; As the Miniſters novv under the Goſpell, to perſvvade men, to heare in falſe Churches. If it bee not all one, ſhevv the difference.. The ſimple beleeveth every word mPro. 14. 15.: But the prudent man looketh well to his going.
There is nothing more in this anſwer, but a little girding at ſome mens perſons, and at their exerciſe of Propheſie; to which J will ſay no more, but in the Poets nIuvenal. Satyr. 2.words: Dat veniam Corvis vexat Cenſura Columbas.