The Lightless Star, Chapter 14
CHAP. XIV.
Goodwin.
Thirdly, Concerning that Scripture (1 Cor. 2. 14.) but the natural man perceiveth not, &c. if, Reader, thou conceivest there is any thing in it spoken with any intent to disable Reason or Understanding in a man so farre as to devest them of all capacity and power for the apprehending, conceiving, or beleeving any the things of God; yea, or particularly, of such of the things of God, the discerning and beleeving whereof is of absolute necessity for salvation; thou maist if thou pleasest, deliver thy judgement from the mistake by the perusall of a few pages in a discourse formerly published, where thou wilt finde this passage of Scripture duplicate page duplicate page opened at large, and driven home to its issue, here I clearly demonstrate these three things.
1. That the place speaketh not of the naturall, i. e. of the unregenerate man, but of the weak Christian, the babe in Christ.
2. That the things of God here spoken of are not such things, the knowledge or discerning whereof is of absolute necessity to salvation, but the high or deepe things of God, of the true and worthy discerning of which, only the Spirituall man, i. e. the strong and well grown Christian is De praesenti, and immediately capable.
3. (And lastly) that the incapacity of these things of God which is here asserted to be in the Naturall man or weake Christian, is not an utter or absolute incapacity, or such, which by a diligent use of means he may not very possibly and according to the ordinary course of providence out-grow, but only a present or actuall incapacity or indisposition, which is regularly, and (at it were) of course curable: these things I there evince from the expresse tenor, and carriage of the context.
Resbury.
For his explication of 1 Corinth. 2. 14.
1. Hee saith, the place speakes not of the Naturall i. e. the unregenerate man, but of the weake Christian, the babe in Christ. That the place speaks of the Naturall or unregenerate man, is evident against his demonstrations he tels us of, which indeed are of no affinity with Euclia's, we have only night for a vision in them.
1. Of him that hath not the spirit of God, v. 11. But the spirit of the world opposite to the spirit of God, v. 12. 2. The things of the Spirit of God are foolishnesse unto him, and what things are these? why the things that are held forth in the preaching of Christ crucified, v. 2. Now to whom is the preaching of Christ crucified foolishnesse? to them that perish, V. 18. But to them that are saved, the power of God, to the uncalled, i. e. the unregenerate, foolishnesse, but to the called of God, the power of God, and the wisdome of God, v. 23, 24.
2 The things of God here (he saith) are such, as are not absolutely necessary to salvation, but the high and deep things of God. But 1. The things absolutely necessary to be knowne, are as high and deep as any; the Trinity of the persons, the union of the two Natures in the Mediator, the oblation and intercession of Christ, the imputation of his righteousnes, &c.
2 These are the things absolutely necessary to salvation, for they are the things in the preaching whereof, Christ crucified is preached, v. 2. the things of the hidden wisdome of God ordained to the glory of the Saints, v. 7. the things freely given of God to the Saints, v. 12. Whereas you say in the close here, that the spiritual man onelyonly, that is, the strong and wel grown Christian is, de praesenti, and immediately capable, &c.
1 If onelyonly the strong and wel growne Christian be the spiritual man, then is the meer naturall man a weak Christian, and so all the world by nature Christians, i. e. beleevers: welcome all, Turkes, and Insidels, to Mr. Goodwins Church.
2 Whether do you allow the spiritual man, to be above the natural man or not? if not, (as indeed you cannot, if you will be constant to your selfe as here, so formerly, neither can you deny it, if you wil be constant to your self, as formerly we observed; but you are a famous self-subverter, then is the Naturall man capable, de praesenti, &c. Contrary to your owne interpretation of the Apostles expresse doctrine here; if you doe allow him above the natural man, then you grant the word Supernaturall vertually in that sense, wherein you formerly denyed it; so that you are full of interwoven contradictions, at every turne refuting your selfe.
3 You deny here an utter incapacity of these things in the Natural man, &c. but such as he may out-grow, according to the ordinary course of providence.
1. Your Doctrine is evidently false. 1. These things of the spirit of God are discerned by another light, and another principle then the Natural man hath, He neither knowes, nor can know them, saith the Apostle, because they are spiritually discerned: and this light of the spirit, specifically distinct from the light of Reason in the Natural man, as the light of reason is from the light of Sense in the bruit beast, v. 11. And this spirit the world hath not (therfore not the Natural man) v. 12. Formerly he made such an observation, as this, his refuge, that the Evangelist said, not Darknesse could not, but did not comprehend the light, which, how slender a refuge it was for him we there saw: here the Apostle is expresse, Cannot, yet he attempts an evasion. There is no end of this mans sophistry, nor can be upon his principles, that the Grammar and Logick of the Scripture must vaile to his Reason.
2 Your Doctrine here (as all along) is purely Pelagian: for you acknowledge no such incapacity in the Natural man, of discovering all Gospel-truths leading to salvation, but what by the diligent use of meanes hee may overgrow, &c. therefore of himselfe, not onelyonly may he make use of the means, but so make use of them, as that thence, he shall certainly be savingly inlightened: Which must bee one of these wayes.
1 Either the seeds of naturall light shall hereby grow up into a saving light, so Nature improves it selfe into Grace, and this is according to your Doctrine, that there is nothing supernatural in the efficacy of Grace; and this is highly Pelagian, for it makes Nature Grace, (Sub laude Naturae, latent inimici Gratiae) and Nature before this improvement must be Grace, in the seed, as by it, it becomes grace in the fruit, Or,
2 By this use of means, he shall procure the giving of saving light and grace from the hand of God, which is still the Pelagian doctrine, that the grace of God is given according to mans merits; but still it is a Riddle to mee, how you can allow thus much, and make good your doctrine, against the supernaturall efficacy of grace.
As for your glosse upon 1 Cor. 3. 1. It is evident the Apostle calls them carnall, opposed to spiritual; not absolutely, as formerly he had opposed the natural man, but in part, therefore he addes by way of limitation, babes in Christ; but when he expostulates with them v. 3. are yee not carnall, and walke according to max? he there implies, that the meer man is wholly carnall, for as much as the weake Christian, so farre as he is carnall, he is according to man, and wherein he walkes carnally he walkes according to man.
Goodwin.
4 (And lastly to the Objection) concerning Heathen Philosophers, and others of great parts, and naturall endowments of reason, wit, understanding, &c. who either rejected the Gospell, as a Fable, as the Philosophers, or else perverted and wrested the truth thereof in many things to their owne destruction, and possibly to the destruction of others, as Hereticks; I answer, when I affirme and teach, that Reason, or the intellectuall part of a man is competent to apprehend, discerne, subscribe unto the things of God, and of the Gospell, my meaning is not to affirme withall, that therefore men of these endowments, though never so excellently enriched with them, must of necessity apprehend, discerne, or subscribe unto these things; Reason, and understanding even of the greatest advance in man, will serve men for other ends and purposes, besides the apprehension and discerning the things of God in the Gospell, and may accordingly be improved and imployed by them; yea, they may be imployed against the Gospell, and made to warre and fight against the truth of it: it is a saying of knowne truth concerning all things that have not an essentiall connexion with a mans soveraigne good:
Nil prodest quod non laedere possit idem. i. e.
Nothing there is so profitable,
But to doe mischiefe is as able.
Because some men suffer themselves to be bewitched with a corrupt desire of drawing away Disciples after them, and for the fulfilling of such a Lust speake perverse things (as the Apostle speaketh) it doth not fellow from hence, that therefore they were in no capacity, or in no possibility of speaking the truth, and refraining from the teaching of perverse things.
Aristotle speaking of riches, saith, That it is unpossible that he should have them, who takes no care to have them; So are we to conceive of the knowledge and true discerning of the things of God in the Gospell, in what capacity soever men are, either for ability, or meanes otherwise for attaining them, it is unpossible that ever they should actually attaine to them, unlesse they be carefull, and shall bend the strength of their mindes and understandings in order to the attainment of them. Now the Heathen Philosophers (more generally) became vaine in their imaginations, as the Apostle speaketh, i. e. they spent themselves,, the strength of their parts, time, and opportunities upon matters of a low, or secondary concernment, and which they apprehended to have a more ready and certaine connexion with their owne honour, and esteeme amongst men, and did not charge themselves, their gifts, or parts, with that worthy and blessed designe, which the Apostle calls the having of God in acknowledgement; upon this their unnaturall unthankfulnesse towards God, uttering it selfe in their addition of themselves, to studies, speculations, and enquiries of a selfe concernment with the neglect of him, foreign their foolish heart was darkned. Concerning Hereticks, it is a common Notion amongst us, that these from time to t…me were turned aside from the way of truth, by some uncleane Spirit or other; as Pride, Ambition, Envie, Voluptuousnesse, or the like; if these Spirits once enter into a man, they will soone call in, and take unto themselves other spirits worse then themselves; I meane spirits of errour and delusion, to advocate for them, and plead their cause: as for the mistakes and miscarriages in judgement of good men, upright (in the maine) with God, and the Gospell, about some particular points they are to be resolved into several causes, of which we shal not now speake particularly, only this I shall say, whatsoever any mans errour, or mistake in judgement, is about the things of the Gospell, it is not to be imputed to any deficiency on Gods part, in the vouchsafement of meanes unto him, competent, and sufficient, as well for the guiding into, as for the keeping of his judgement in the way of truth, but into some deficiency, neglect, or incogitancy of his owne, which he might very possibly have prevented, or over-come. But—
Resbury.
For the summe of this Paragraph concerning the Philosophers, and Heretiques, you say in the first place, That though they were able to apprehend the things of the Gospell, yet doth it not follow that they must; but 1. We have seene that no Naturall man is able. 2. Finde one that ever did advance his reason to apprehend the Gospell-Mystery without the Spirit of illumination, revealing it by the Word, if not one, then none could, for from the Universall deniall of the Act, to the deniall of the Power, the consequence is undeniable. 3. Whether might those Philosophers (according to your apprehension) without the word of the Gospell, have found out in the Booke of the Creature the Gospell-Mystery, or might they so improve their reason about inquiry after God? That thereupon he must send his Word unto them, thereby enlightening them? whether soever of these you take, you fall into the Relagian Heresie, as we often formerly evinced against your Discourse of the same batch with this.
As for your instance of men bewitched with a corrupt desire of drawing Disciples after them, and speaking perverse things; pardon me, if I be apt to beleeve that you speake feelingly, and from selfe-experience.
2 You teach that men must bend their minds and intentions to Gospel-enquiries, that they may have the knowledge thereof; Tis true, so doth the Spirituall man: But the Naturall man wants Principles for bending his minde thereto, as discerning nothing worthy in them, and his heart's set against them.
3 You say, That God punishing the Philosophers for their unthankfulnesse, addicting themselves to other things, &c. their foolish heart was darkned: this is true too, but the conclusion you ayme at here, scil, that therefore they were able to have addicted themselves to Gospel-enquiries is both false, and Pelagian, as hath been proved before; as supposing that man is able to performe all his duty.
As for Hereticks, it is true, you say, They are led aside by some uncleane Spirit, therefore must I alwayes suspect an Heretick, though his conversation be never so specious, to be but a whited Sepulchre; whereas in the close of this Section you say, That whatsoever any mans errour, &c. be, it is not to be imputed to deficiency on Gods part, in the vouchsafement of meanes; I answer, deficiency sounds culpably, and therefore not to be imputed to God; but evident it is, that God doth not) yet without deficiency vouchsafe the necessary meanes of Gospel-knowledge, to many denying his Word, to more his Spirit, who have no more, nor otherwise deserved this deniall, then those to whom he affords both, who is sought of those that asked not for him, and found of those that sought him not, of whom it is, as of him that shewes mercy, not of him that wills, nor of him that runs.
Goodwin.
Secondly, concerning the Spirit of God, by which alone, and in opposition to reason many affirme and teach, That the things of God, and matters of Religion are to be apprehended, discerned, and knowne; I answer, that such an Opinion as this, is a conceit as uncouth, as …ulpably weake, and ill-coherent with it selfe, as lightly can be; for if only the Spirit of God within me apprehends the things of God, and I my selfe apprehend them not (and apprehend them I cannot, but by my reason or understanding, having no other faculty, where with to apprehend or conceive them) such an apprehension of them relateth not at all unto me, nor can I any whit be said the more to apprehend them, because the Spirit of God apprehends them in me; then I may, or might, in case the same Spirit should apprehend them in another man; That which another man meditates, or indicts in my house without imparting it unto me, no whit more concernes me, then in case be should have meditated or indicted the same in the house of another man. Besides, the Spirit of God being but one and the same infinite, and invisible Spirit in all men, he cannot with any tolerable propriety of speech, nor with truth, be said to apprehend, discern, and concerve that in one man, which he doth not after the same manner apprehend, discerne, and conceive in another, yea, in every man; therefore if there be any thing more apprehended, or discerned of the things of God, in one man then in another, the difference ariseth not from the different apprehensions of the Spirit in these men, but from the different apprehensions of these men themselves, and this by their owne reasons and understandings, they having (as hath been said) no other faculties, principles, or abilities where-with to apprehend, but these.
Resbury.
You affirme here, That many teach that by the Spirit of God alone, in opposition to reason in man the things of God are apprehended: who those many are, or one of those many, I know not; the Doctrine of your knowne Adversaries is, That by mans reason are the things of God apprehended, but that they may be savingly so, reason must be Spiritually enlightned, and the whole soule sanctified, and that by preventing and differencing Grace, so that all you say further in this Section are wast words; you may make great webs, if you spin thus plentifully, yet when all is done they will be but Cobwebs.