The Lightless Star, Chapter 1
CHAP. I.
The Examination of the Preface.
THat which we have to doe in the Examination of this Preface is, to discover the errors of it, and to cleare up the truth against them. The errors wherewith it is fraught, are of two sorts, yet near a kin, and mutuall supporters each to other; both very dangerous, and against the very heart of Christianity; Socinian, against the authority of the Scriptures; and Pelagian against the grace of God. According to our intention for the discovery and refutation of these, wee shall diligently insist upon those passages in this Preface, where those monsters appear, passing by, or lightly touching upon the rest, to avoid tediousnesse and impertinency: And therefore, whereas we have four parts of this insuing Discourse, the first, his invitation to read his booke, the second, his motives therunto, the third a prevention of objections there-against, the fourth an Apology for his change of judgement, as he calls it. The first part, or his invitation we shall passe by (what ever observations might be made, shewing the spirit of the Authour) as but the sounding of his trumpet to bid battle to the truth. Upon the same account for his first motive to read his Booke, which is a long and plausible discourse against error in generall; we shall not speake much to it; onelyonly a word or two for caution about it. It is, though a discourse against error, yet itself very erroneous. 1. In the aime and tendency of it, which is insensibly and by covert insinuations, to instill those errours into the Reader, which afterwards are more openly contended for. 2. In the Contexture of it, which manifests together with his insuing discourse, what was the aime of it. To make this clear, we shall take notice of a passage or two in it, and then adde some thing afterwards exprest, which will satisfie, concerning the aime we speake of. 1. For the insinuation of his Socinian doctrine against the authority of the Scriptures, we have this expression from him; That a man or woman, who have for many years profest the Gospell, may in processe of time come to discover vanity in some erroneous principle or tenet, where-with their judgements had been leavened, for some considerable space formerly, and so grow into a disapprobation or contempt of it; and yet may very possibly think and suppose, that the Gospell favours or countenanceth it, and that otherwise they should never have owned nor approved it. What Socinianisme is here vented, against the authority of the word of God, we shal shew hereafter; where we have occasion to insist against this error, and therefore desire the Readers patience till he shall meet with it in due place.
2. For the insinuation of his Pelagianisme exalting the nature of man against the grace of God; generally his high declaiming against errour, as the onelyonly cause of sinne, is secretly to undermine the doctrine of originall sinne, as to the corruption of the will. Particularly, wee shall transcribe a passage or two wherein he so derives both our ignorance and sinfulnesse from errour, voluntarily by our selves, in our owne persons contracted, as thence hee evacuates the Scripture-doctrine concerning both our naturall blindnesse of mind, and corruption of will, to this purpose, he hath this passage, That errour, and all mis-notions of God, &c. pollute, corrupt, and imbase the mind and understanding of a man, by their union, and communion with them; as a person of a noble house and blood, staines his honour, and reputation by coupleing himselfe in marriage with a woman of base parentage and conditions. This is a cleare insinuation, as if the understanding in the naturall man was in a state of great excellency and honour, contrary to the doctrine of originall sin concerning it, there is none that understands, &c. vaine man would faine bee wise, though he be borne like a wilde Asses Colt. But of this more hereafter; Another passage of like import, speaking of erroneous and lying apprehensions and conceites concerning God, he addes wherwith men willingly suffer their mindes and consciences to bee imbased and corrupted even to a spirituall rottennesse and putrifaction. Againe, that errour disposeth the soule which drinkes it in, and converseth with it, to a spirituall death. In both which he supposeth nothing lesse, then that the soule is by originall sin, through the corruption of the will in a state of spirituall death, rottenesse and putrifaction.
And thus having shewed from his discourse it self his erroneous aim and insinuation accordingly. It is now time for me further to shew the same by what is afterwards exprest, as I promised, which I shal do by quoting his own words, which in the tenth page of this preface are these.
It is a thing as unquestionable, as that the Sun is up at noon-day, that Reason and Understanding in men are competent to judge of the things of God, at least of some, yea, of many of them; or rather indeed of all that are contained in the Scriptures, according to the degree of their discovery and manifestation there: And after some instances whereby he would confirm this doctrine, he comes to this conclusion pag. 11.
Therefore certainly those noble faculties and endowments of Reason & Understanding in men, as they are sustained, supported, and assisted (here are, as ever, words enough) by the spirit of God in the generality of men, are in a capacity of apprehending, discerning, understanding (plenty of words still) the things of God in the Gospell; yea, and evident it is from the Scriptures, that men act beneath themselves, are remisse and slothfull in awakening those principles of light and understanding, that are vested in their natures, or else willingly choke, suppresse, and smother them (who may complaine for want of words, but this is his perpetual manner, which I shall not need after these hints to take much notice of) if they remaine in the snare of unbeleefe. Then after a little more discourse he hath (with reference to a text of Scripture which wil not own his inference) these words; Which clearly implyeth that men who act and quit themselves, according to the true principles of that reason, which God hath planted in them, cannot but beleeve and be partakers in the precious faith of the Gospell. To the same purpose in the fourth chapter of his book, pag. 41. He professeth his opinion, That that life and salvation, which Christ in reality of designe, and with semblable acceptance in the sight of God, had from the beginning purchased by his death for men; did, or doth (as it were) in the first breake, or dawning of it, appear and discover it selfe in those principles of naturall light, reason, judgement, conscience, understanding, &c. which are found in the generality of men upon their coming into the world: Then he tells us, That men generally, as they grow up in the world, convert those principles of light and understanding to make provision for the lusts of the flesh; and that partly by an un-manlike ossitancy, partly out of an inordinate propenfity to comport with the world, they suffer their judgements and understandings to be corrupted, adulterated, imbased, and abused by many false and foolish Principles, and notions, which turne them quite a side from a regular and due prosecution of that life and salvation, which is in Christ for them, and might have been obtained by them; and that ignorance, or incapacity rather, of the things of eternal life which is in men, they have voluntarily contracted and brought upon themselves. By this time, Reader, thou wilt discern something of the mystery of iniquity lurking in this discourse of his against error; the refutation of what is here averred, we must defer a while, til we shall meet with it in its proper place, where, the Lord assisting, we are resolved to grapple close with Master Goodwin, and to make it (we hope) cleare as the Sunne, that he is not only a Teacher of falshood, but of the Pelagian Heresie; in the meane time we must follow him, as he goes on, and in the first place we shall finde him a Socinian.