The Principle of Protestant Truth and Peace, Catechism · Chapter 11
CAP. XI. Of every Man's Obligation to be wiſe for himſelf to Salvation.
Queſt. ACcording to all the precedent Accounts of the Church, it ſeems not only reaſonable, but moſt neceſſary, every Man ſhould be wiſe for himſelf unto Salvation?
Anſw. It is certainly ſo: for every Man is to be determin'd by the Word of God to the True Religion; to which purpoſe, he is to apply his Mind to ſearch for true Wiſdom, as for Silver, and to ſeek for it, as for hidden Treaſure.
Queſt. How ſhould Men of ſo great Diſadvantages to ſuch High Things be inabled to Judge?
Anſw. Wiſdom aſſumes moſt juſtly to it ſelf to be of ſo high Value, that every Man ſhould think it worth his while, to Labour, and Travel herein; and to them that do ſo, it hath promiſed the moſt certain Succeſs, even the pouring out its Spirit to them, and that they ſhall underſtand the Fear of the Lord, and find the Knowledge of God: The Things of greateſt moment are not of ſuch difficulty, but that they are attainable in the uſe of Right Means, under ſo great Promiſes.
Queſt. What are thoſe Right Means?
Anſw. Bowing down our Ears to the Words of the Wiſe; that is, of thoſe that by Inſpiration from God have been Wiſe, and written their Wiſdom for Future Ages; and by applying our Hearts to Divine Knowledge, upon which they come to be inlay'd within us, and to be fitted to our Lips, to be agreeable and well matched to our Diſcourſe, and not like a Parable in a Fools Mouth.
Queſt. But are not theſe things ſpoken, and written to the Learned and Elders of the …hurch, that they might know for the People, and the People put their truſt in them?
Anſw. No: They are written to thee, even to thee; that is, to every one, that they might have their Truſt only in God; that is, find the Rock of Divine Veracity, and Infallibility, and have no need to truſt in Men; …ut to know the certainty of the Words of Truth, and be able to anſwer the Words of Truth, either to thoſe that adviſe with them, as Friends, or challenge them, as Enemies.
Queſt. If this was the ſenſe of the Old Teſtament, it is undoubtedly much more ſo of the New?
Anſw. It muſt needs be ſo, as a higher, and more Intellectual State of the Church, as much freer, and clearer in its Notions of Truth: The Apoſtles Diſcourſe Chriſtians, as no Chriſtians, if they are not able to Judge, as Wiſe Men, what they ſay: If they are not Men in underſtanding, if they attain not to the ſtate of Teachers, by skill in the Word of Righteouſneſs, and have ſenſes exerciſed to diſcern, by an Intellectual and Spiritual Guſt, Things Good and Evil; if they cannot give an Apology, or Defence of the Hope that is in them, that is, of their Chriſtianity, to every one that asks them a Rational Account of it.
Queſt. But in things of Perplexity, and Doubt, are not Chriſtians bound to ſubmit to the Judgments of their Teachers?
Anſw. If they can receive and digeſt their Reaſon, and take in the Light they judge by, ſo as to make it their own; elſe if they cannot find their Reaſons, nor acquit themſelves from doubt, they muſt ſuſpend. For a Chriſtian is Commanded by his Lord, to call no Man upon Earth Maſter, or Father.
Queſt. What is the meaning of that?
Anſw. It is this very Thing, that we ſhould receive nothing as Doctrine, or Indiſputable Truth, or Precept, upon any Man's Word, that does not offer ſuch Reaſon and Authority from God, and his Word, that we our ſelves ſee Reaſon, not to receive it as the Word of Man, but of God.
Queſt. But is it not ſaid, that they that have the Rule over us, watch for our Souls, as they that muſt give an Account for the ſame? If we are not to believe them, and ſurrender our Judgment to theirs, how can they give an Account?
Anſw. They that Rule over us, watch for our Souls, and muſt give an Account, as Ezekiel's Prophets and Watchmen, by giving Warning, laying Truth before us, offering the ſincere Word of God in all Caſes; the ſucceſs of which upon Souls Converted and Saved is their Crown and Glory; and their unſucceſs lookes like a ſorrow, to ſee thoſe Souls loſt, for whom they laboured in vain, and ſpent their ſtrength upon them for nought; yet ſo, that if they have been faithful, though without ſucceſs, their reward is with the Lord, and their Work with God: But notwithſtanding this, every Man is ſo to account for his own Soul, that the very ſucceſs is not a Blind Obedience to Rulers, but as is ſaid, a Receiving the Word, not as the Word of Men, but as it is indeed the Word of God: And if theſe Watchmen neglect their Duty, or Seduce inſtead of Teaching, Men are to apply to better Means afforded by God; and if they do not, they ſtill die in their Iniquity, and, following their Blind Leaders, fall into the Pit; which is an unanſwerable Argument, that we may truſt in no Man, but in God only: For if an implicit Faith could be a ſaving Faith, it ſhould ſave thoſe that followed ſuch Guides, though they themſelves were juſtly Condemned in not diſcharging their Truſt.
Queſt. But were not the Apoſtles, and Prophets, to be Truſted at a higher rate than thus?
Anſw No: There were ſuch evident Marks of Divine Doctrine always given by God, to thoſe that deſired to Know, Love, and Obey him, that even the very Prophets and Apoſtles were not to be received without them, nor to be believed but according to them, nay, to be plainly Anathematiz'd, if they varied from it: Chriſtians were therefore to judge, to try the Spirits, to ſearch the Scriptures, whether the things ſpoken were ſo; to have recourſe to undoubted Principles of Truth, that were as ſtandards to all that came after, beſides the Unction from the Holy One, whereby they were inabled to know all things neceſſary to Salvation.
Queſt. But is not all Humane Teaching, and Inſtruction, hereby taken away, and what becomes of the Miniſtry, the Elderſhip of the Church, and their Rule?
Anſw. They are all hereby Eſtabliſhed; for they are the Ordination of God to this very purpoſe, to make Men ſee, to bring them Light, to clear things to them, that by the awakening their Judgments, the ſummoning and collecting their Principles, they may ſee with their own Eyes the ways of God and Religion; the Holy Spirit graciouſly adjoyning it ſelf to their Miniſtry: They have no Dominion over their Faith, but are helpers of thier Joy; that is, they facilitate, and make pleaſant the knowledge and aſſurances of Religion; and they Rule, by Exhorting, Admoniſhing, Rebuking, Comforting, and even Commanding in the Evidences of Divine Authority, on Account of which they are to be obey'd, and highly eſteemed for their Works ſake.
Notwithſtanding all this, no Man is excluded from his own Office to himſelf; for every particular Chriſtian is in ſome Senſe a Congregation, and Preacher to himſelf, as Solomon; his Conſcience hath the Keys, binds, and looſes within it ſelf; nay, Chriſtians are not excluded from Rule in the Church; when they have the Word of God on their ſide, they may plead and reaſon with their Mother, Hoſ. 2. 2. When they have more underſtanding than their Teachers, or the Rulers Rule not according to the Word of God, they that ſpeak according to the Law, and the Teſtimony, even Rule their Rulers, and prove the more noble Organs of the Church; when thoſe that ſhould Rule it, are as the Idols Eyes that ſee not, Ears that hear not; or as the Idol Shepherd; a Blaſt is upon their Right hand, and Right-eye, that their Arm is clean dried up, and their Eye utterly darkened; the moſt naked unfurniſhed Chriſtian with outward Accompliſhments, that yet knows the Word of God, is among the Prophets in ſuch a time of neceſity.