Survey of the Spiritual Antichrist, Part 1 · Chapter 8
CHAP. VIII. Of Humane Industry, Arts, Sciences, Tongues, and if they be lawfull and necessary to the opening and supernaturall knowledge of the Scripture.
UPon the same ground Familists teach, because the Spirit acts them immediately, that 1 All humane industry and endeavours of free will are vain. 2 That arts and sciences have nothing to doe with the right understanding of the Scriptures.
2 The word of God teacheth us that grace strengthneth our Indeavours, but destroyes them not, Cant 1.3. Draw mee, Indeavours & Industry of fre… will consisteth well with gracewee will runne, Psal. 119.…2. I will runne the way of thy Commandements when thou shalt inlarge my heart. Ioh. 6.45. All that have heard and learned of the Father come to me. I shall not need to say that Paul extolleth grace highly, when he saith, 1 Cor. 15. J…laboured more abundantly then they all, and that he travelled spreading the Gospel, from Ierusalem to Illy…i…um ▪ and that he and Barnabas, and the rest of the Apostles, devided the earth amongst them, as some thinke, or that they went through the most part of it, journying and sayling to spread the Gospell in journying often, through Cities, Wildernesses, Countries, Seas. 2 Cor. 11.26, 27, 28. Watching night and day, fasting, caring for all the Churches. I shall crave no more, but that the Apostles stirred their limbes, did sweat, travell, and use free will, as other men, though the grace of God, and an extreame hunger to add glory declarative to the crowne greatnesse and Majesty of their highly exalted prince, did stirre and principle them, yet its enough to our purpose, if the Apostles peeces of fraile tyred out flesh, were not meer patients, stones and blocks carried sleeping in all their journying, cares, paines▪ and endeavours in preaching and that in the Spirits Bosome, as in a soft bed, they neither knowing, hearing, feeling, willing, indeavouring, longing, swetting, or acting, by any naturall industrie, more then Aristotles dull and formeles … matter: if they were so, as Antinomians suppose as dead … in their actings and the Spirit did all, onelyonly, adequately▪ irresistibly and immediately, and they themselves did nothing then. 1 Paul vainely did glory in his infirmities, he was not any thing but 2 Cor. 11. like a windie lying souldier numbering his wounds, when he never appeard in the field, nor recieved any one wound, nor faced an enemy for he was not so much as a patient, if no agent at all in these, for he compares himselfe; without pride, as not inferiour to the greatest, in his sufferings, in his stripes, imprisonment, fasting, even with all the pretended Apostles his adversaries; now if he acted nothing to make him to be cryed up in comparison of them as being as choice and excellent an instrument of God as the best of them, but the Spirit acted all, then was there danger, that the Holy Ghost should be drowned, suffer shipwrack, be killed with stripes and fasting, and deathes, for in sufferings especially, he glories, this we cannot say; and so the former must be rejected. 2 When he sayes in fasting and watching often, he must meane in not eating, and not sleeping often, for if he acted nothing as a man, which is repugnant to all sense, all his actings are but a pure froathy enumeration. 3 What can be a stronger motive for us to disobey Christ, who commands striving to enter in at the narrow gate, Mat. 7. forsaking of all, hating of all, for his names sake, Mat. 19. Labouring and that without fainting and wearying, Rev. 2.3. Gal. 6.9. running, Phil. 3.13, 14. then to think such promises made to those that overcome are made to the Holy Ghost, and to perswade and beseech the Holy Ghost, not men, or that the promise of a crowne of glory, upon condition of faithfulnesse to the death is made to the Holy Ghost, not to beleevers, who may, and can sinne? 4 you may easily smell the Antinomian licence of enmity against workes, labouring, patience, working out our salvation in feare and trembling, Rev. 2.3. Phil. 2.12, 13, 14. for their aime is to lay a hugh weight upon the Antinomian faith, which (if I know any thing) is a dead, imaginary, froathy speculation, not saving faith.
Touching sciences, arts, and knowledge of the tongues,How far arts, sciences, and knowledge of tongues, Hebrew, Greeke and Latine, are to be acknowledged the good gifts of God, and how far they are to be rejected. Antinomians are ignorant of the state of the question: for we grant sciences abused to the perverting of the simplicity of the Gospel 2 Sciences gloried in, 3 Sciences are reputed saving knowledge as if such masters of arts, and grand Rabbies▪ because learned, were taught of God, and heard and learned of the father, as the elect of God are. Ioh. 16.45. 4 Sciences reputed sufficient to teach Christ are but vainely so called sciences.
Antinomians grant sciences, and arts, and tongues, in their proper place profitable and excellent for Statesmen, Lawyers, Physitians, but bring them once as helpes to understand the minde of God in the holy Scriptures, and then if yee beleeve Sam. How they are detestable filth, drosse and dung.
2 Sciences, arts, and tongues, are either considered in their substance and nature, or in the way of acquiring them, either by supernaturall infusion, as they were in the Prophets and Apostles, or by education, industry, paine, studying, reading and teaching of men. In the former consideration, the same knowledge of the doctrine of Moses and the Prophets, and of speaking with tongues in the substance and nature of the gift that is in Paul and the Apostles by supernaturall and immediate revelation, or infusion, is in men that acquire the same knowledge and speaking with tongues, for Paul otherwise, who receaved this knowledge not from, or by flesh and blood, not his owne industry Gal. 1.11, 12, 13, 14 15, 16, 17, 18. Ephes. 3.2▪ 3. should then counsell and exhort Timothy to labour for another knowledge of the Gospel and so another Gospel by reading, studying,Sciences, arts and tongues, in their nature, though not in m…nner of acquiring them necessary for understanding of the scriptures and both wayes they are the good gifts meditating and industry. 1 Tim. 4 15, 16. 2 Tim. 3.14, 15, 16, 17, then he himselfe had receaved by revelation, which is a manifest untruth, for he saith, But continue thou in the things which th… hast learned, and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them, and that from a child thou hast knowne the Holy scriptures, which are able to make the wise to salvation ▪ And 2 Tim. 2.1. Thou therefore my son be st…ong in the g…ace that is in Christ Iesus ▪ now least any should imagine, as Antinomians doe, that the grace that i… in Iesus Christ, is contrary to, and inconsistent with the industry of learning and studying and acquired knowledge▪ he addeth. ver 2. and the things that thou h…st heard of me, amongst many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithfull m…n, then as the same rose may grow by nature, and by the industry of the gardner, and by singular art, as by causing an Oven hot to send warmenesse and heate to the root of the rose in the winter, when otherwise the cold earth should produce no roses at all, nor can these three sort of Roses be said to be different in nature, & spece, though produced 3 sundry ways, by nature industry, and art fomenting and supporting weake nature, so also the same knowledge of the Scripture, doth come to Paul by revelation, to Timothy by industry and teaching, and the same knowledge and faculty of speaking with tongues is Act. cha. 2 in some, by the comming downe of the Holy Ghost without education and teaching, and in some by education, and teaching ver. 4 5, 6. compared with ver. 8▪ when therefore it is said Act. 4.13▪ That the councell perceiving Peter and Iohn were foreign unlearned m…n they were amazed ▪ it cannot inferre as Sa…uel How sufficiency of the Spirits, teaching 3 Re…sons.Antinomians thinke that humane learning and knowledge of tongues were not requisite in the Apostles, or that the Apostles were voyd of such learning, but they onelyonly marvelled that men unlearned, in regard of education, at schooles and universities, being fisher-men, and unlearned in a pharisaicall sense, which onelyonly went for learning in their time, could so promptly and boldly speake of the misteries of the Gospel, and were so skilled in the doctrine of Moses, and the Prophets, and they wondered at their Master Christs learning, seeing he was a Carpenters sonne and never taught at schooles▪ Christ and the Apostles were learned, though they had not their learning from industry studying, teaching in Schools, and universitie as we have.and M. Beacon. Sam. How and other Antinomians are of the Pharisees opinion, if they beleeve Christ was destitute of learning, now what way hee had his learning, whether by infusion from heaven, or the personall union, or by education at schooles, (which is not apparent) is a farre other question, and they are no lesse deceived, who imagine that those fisher-men now Catholick ambassadors of Iesus Christ, and on whom the Holy Ghost descended in cloven tongues, with the rest, Act. 2.1, 2, 3▪ 4. were ignorant of the tongues, Hebrew, Greeke and Latine, or that they who preached and wrote scripture, and such divine epistles to the Churches, were unlearned men voyd of the very literall knowledge and skill of the very letter of the scriptures, of the old and new Testament, which these men call falsly prophane and heathenish, so Christ and his Apostles had all the learning and tongues, that we now have, and what we have by industry and paines, reading, studying under teachers and in schooles and universities, that they had by immediate infusion or some other way. Enthysiasts goe upon a false principle that learning, arts, tongues, are in their nature and kind, heathenish, whereas of themselves and in their kind and nature, they are neither heathenish nor Christian, but naturall and well polished habits and acquired qualities indifferent and extrinsecall to either the state of Ethnicisme or Christianity, and good or ill, as they are well used, or abused, in either states, they argue vainely then who thus reason: if Christ and his Apostles carried on a ministery without learning, arts, and tongues, then so may wee: but the former is true, therefore so is the latter, the major is false, because sectaries want the immediate inspiring Spirit that Christ and his Apostles had to supply defects of education and industry, and the assumption is palpably false also: who ever therefore now will take on them, to be publicke ministers of the New Testament, and goe from weaving, sowing, Carpentarie, Shoo-making to the pulpit to the representing of God, and being his mouth to his people, being voyd of all learning, tongues, logick, arts, sciences, and the literall knowledge of the scripture, and yet cannot shew that either the Holy Ghost hath given to them the Gift of tongues, and the knowledge of the mystery of the Gospell by revelation without the teaching of flesh or blood as he did to the Apostles, or without some more then ordinary competent measure of knowledg and supernaturall dexterity to cut the word of truth aright: and yet alledge that fisher-men never brought up at schooles and universities may be preachers of the Gospel, and why not Weavers, Taylors, Button makers, Shoo-makers, &c. they are but intruders, and runne, and the Lord sent them not, how then can, M. Beacon in his Chatechisme, pag. 153, 154. Prove that the ministery of the Spirit can be carried on without that which wee commonly call Humane Learning from Act. 4.13. Because Christ and his Apostles carried it on so? For Christ and his Apostles wanted not that which we commonly call humane learning, yea and most properly call so, they wanted learning acquited at schooles and universities, but that is not the question: whether men may be preachers though they never were educated and trained up in universites? Humane learning is not called so from the way and manner of acquiring of it, but from its own nature, And Christ and his Apostles made use of humane arts and tongues, for the understanding and opening of Scripture.
1 Christ and his Apostles cite Scripture out of the Hebrew text in the old Testament,That Christ & his Apostles had learning and made good use of sciences arts and tongues, is proved. into the tongue knowne to the hearers, yea and the Apostles doe translate the scripture in Hebrew into the Greeke tongue, and expone it, and draw Logicall consequences from the Old Testament, so Christ Mat. 22. God is the God of Abraham now dead, ergo the dead shall rise againe. Antinomians say, Christ makes no use of Logick and of Logicall consequences, because they are Logicall, for that which he saith there is Scripture, because Christ so saith, not because there is such Logicall arguing in the words.
Ans. The same way that we argue from an Antecedent to a consequent by naturall logick▪ so doth Christ: we deny not but Christ and the Holy Ghost in the Evangelist Matthew does put the stampe and impression of Scripture on naturall and sinlesse arguing from an Antecedent to a consequent: but it followes well Christ made use of logick in Scripture-discourses, therefore humane learning is lawfull for, and necessary to the opening and understanding of the Scripture.
2 Whereas Antinomians say consequences are not Scripture, but darken the glory of the Gospel. Salt. shaddowes fleeing away. p. 8. It is cleare Christ calleth this very logicall consequence. God is the God of dead Abraham, ergo dead shall rise, by the very name of scripture, which yet was but a consequence drawen from Exo. chap. 3.6. yee erre, not knowing the Scriptures, and further he rebuketh the Saduces as ignorant, who did not make use of the like logicall consequence to see the truth of the doctrine of the resurrection, yee erre, not knowing the scriptures. Mat. 22.31. HaueHave yee not read that which was spoken to you? &c. ergo it was their unbeleife and dulnesse that they did not read and understand the logick of the Holy Ghost, and they ought to have read the article of the resurrection, Exod. 3.6. in the consequence of it, as the Scripture it selfe. 2 Paul drawes arguments, by good logick, and so doth Christ and the Apostles, from the scripture, it is written, it is written, and what saith the Scripture? And Isaiah saith, Hosea saith; then arguing by Logick from the old Testament to prove articles of …aith in the new, which is a facultie of reasoning by art acquired by industry and learning, is lawfull and necessary for the understanding of the Scripture.
3 The Prophets and Apostles almost in every line, use logicall reasoning, from nature, from the cause, the effect, the consequent, and motives from good, to convince and rebuke, to exhort and stirre up to duties, from wrath, life, reward, threatnings, promises, &c.
4 Paul citeth Heathen Poets, as Aratus, Act. 17.28. to convince the Athenians, and Menander, 1 Cor. 15.33, to convince the Corinthians, and Epimemdes, Titus 1.12. to silence the Cretians.
5 Our owne language, that we understand by education and teaching from the breasts from parents, and others we heare speake, hath an use of naturall necessity, that faith may come by hearing▪ Rom. 10.14. were the Gospel to be preached by the English to the Indians ▪ we must make use of arts and tongues.
6 In the Bookes of Moses, are secrets of Physick, true antiquity of tracts of rare historicall providences▪ Exodus a rule of Iustice and righteous lawes, Joshua a glasse of holy warre. Iudges of Magistrates and Tyrants, Samuel, Kings, Proverbes, Ecclesiastes, sacred polititicks. In Iob use is made of Astronomy, &c. And Herodotus, Iosephus, Quintus Curtius, Xenopho…, and other heathen writers conduce not a little to give light to the textuall knowledge of Chronicles, Nehemiah, Ester, Daniel, as all those that write of the Babylonish, Assyrian, and Persian Kingdomes and Empires, and the Roman history may, in regard of our dulnesse, add light to the Prophets and Evangelists, Acts and Epistles of Paul in the New Testament, so that these Spirits like M…hie Becold and Swenckefeld, who would have all books burnt, except the Bible, in regard that humane arts hinder the spirituall understanding of the Scripture, declare their madnesse, for upon the same ground God should, in the conversion of a sinner, root out the naturall understanding, senses and faculties of soule and body, for except they be sanctified and Elevated above their naturall sphere, in an actuall illumination, they can doe nothing: yea and all Bibles translated out of the originalls, in Germans, Latine, Italians, French, English, Sl…v…icke, Persian, and Arabick &c. tongues, must be burnt, for all these translations must be done by singular art and the knowledge of tongues All that can be said on the contrary may be blowen away easily, for the naturall sinlesse knowledge of sciences, arts, tongues, are a substra…um, a foundation to, and for the Spirituall knowledge, and faith of the mysteries of the Gospel. Christ and his disciples knew the art of sowing corne on divers grounds,How the inward teaching excludeth not the outward, but complyeth therewith. of fishing, of buying a field where a Pearle is, and this knowledge did not hinder, but much contribute to the spirituall knowledge of the mysteries of the Gospel, nor is the literall sense of the scripture, in the Saints, distinct from the Spirituall, but it is the same with two sundry lights and evidences, as with the same eyes, and seeing faculty I read the booke of God in the night with candle light, and in day-light with the sunlight, then none can say I have for that two divers or contrary Bibles, and so the capacity naturall that makes me see and know, Jesus to be the saviour of the world, literally, is heightened indeed with a reall removall of spirituall blindnesse, and a reall addition of a new distinct, higher supernaturall visive facultie, the Spirit of revelation: but I see with this new faculty, the same Iesus the saviour of sinners, not another▪ but with a light and a sun-shine and day-light raying of a farre higher nature, then I saw before. But this proposition, Maries sonne Iesus is the saviour of the world ▪ hath no new different sense and meaning, nor foundes it another new objective Christ different from that Christ objected before to the literall or naturall visive capacity or humane understanding onelyonly the proposition shines with the same very sense now, as before, but now it is seene with a higher day-light irradiation and splendor, and apprehended with the same naturall, literall understanding, the same humane vitall and created faculty, to which is added a new reall power, a new visive heavenly capacity to see the same Iesus in his beauty and glory, nor yet get I two naturall understandings, nor can the scripture have two senses.
Ob…e…t. 1. 1 Ioh. 2.26, 27. Th…se things have I written to you concerning them that deceave you: but to fence them from this d… ceeving, he opposeth the anoynting so as they needed not that any man should teach them, for the anoynting taught them. Now that anoynting did never teach them such tongues and arts … were humane, therefore the Saints had not need of any such learning, Privolous objections of Sam How against arts & tongues removed.and yet this anoynting taught all truth and obedience in it also, Ioh. 16. Hee shall lead you in all truth, ergo no more truth is necessary.
Ans. 1 Had this man a head to frame a Syllogisme, as he bringeth a confused argument, it should appeare how weake he is, thus, he that teacheth us all truth, so that we need not humane teaching, is a sufficient teacher without all humane teaching of arts and tongues, But the anoynting or holy Spirit is such a teacher. How the teaching of the Spirit excludeth not arts, learning and tongues, or the teaching of men.ergo wee need no other teacher, so the old Anabaptists and Enthysiasts. I answere to the major, he that teacheth us all truth, as the onelyonly inward, principall and efficacious teacher of all truth immediately, and without all instruments and externall meanes: so that we need no other externall teacher. It is true, he is in his kinde a sufficient teacher, but the assumption, (to wit that the anoynting and Spirit teacheth us so without all instruments and externall meanes) is most false, the Holy Ghost, by this reason, should immediately, and onelyonly in his owne sole and singular person preach to us without so much as speaking in our owne knowne mother tongue, and without vocall preaching of pastor or gifted prophet. Now Christ who promised the Spirit did also, when he ascended on high, promise and actually Ephes. 4.12▪ Give some Apostles and some prophets and some Evangelists, and some pastors and teachers 12 for the perfecting of the Saints▪ for the worke of the ministery, for the edefying of the body of Christ. Now the place speaketh not exclusively, but comparatively, he that teacheth all truth mediately, by the ministery of men, needeth not any teachers as organes and instruments in the ordinary course he hath set, to gather saints, by a ministery, it is most false for this argument doth with equal strength conclude against all ministery, preaching and comming of faith by hearing, aswell as against ar…s▪ and tongues, for neither doth the Spirit teach immediately and without schoole… ▪ universit… and humane teaching. The way of preaching▪ more then he teacheth arts and to…gues, yet this, the anoynting did … teach them arts▪ and tongues, is impertin…ly … over-plus in the … which is no… … conclusion, for without the Spirit of reve…ion … maybe, and are learned. And whereas▪ Iohn saith, … no… that any man teach you, it is but that which Ier. said 3.1▪ 34. And they shal no more …each every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, know the Lord▪ in which words Iohn and Jeremiah … no other thing, then there shall be more then onelyonly literall knowledge of man teaching man, because they shall be more, even inward teaching by the anoynting, Esa. 54.19. Ioh. 6.44; 45. they shall all be taught of God, nor is it the intent of the Holy Ghost to reject the ministery of men which Ephes. 4.11, 12, 13. Must indure t…ll we meet all in the unity of faith in heaven, but onelyonly the Holy Ghost speaketh comparatively, and denyeth, the teaching of men to be reaching, if it be compared with Gods inward and effectuall teaching. So Psal. 50.8. I will not reprove th… for thy sacrifices, v. 14 Offer to God thanksgiving, that is, I offend rather at thy unthankefulnesse, then that thou multiplyest not sacrifices to mee.
Obiect. 2 God placeth our salvation in enmity to mans wisedome, 1 Cor. 1.23 24. We preach Christ crucified to the Iewes a stumbling blocke, and to the Grecians foolishnesse, the Iewes cryed away with him, at Athens, the Gentiles mock Christ and Paul, and God will have no fl…sh to glory but in the Lord, now this learning is but fl…shly and carnall.
Ans. 1. God placeth our salvation in enmity to mans wisedome, simply, and in the simple naturall and sinnelesse knowledge of arts and tongues, Its most false, in enmity to to mans wisedome abused, gloried in, its true. and God brings to nothing the wisdome of this world, by which Iew and Gentile slighted Christ, and denyed him, and willed a murthererer Barrabas to be released before him. What is this to the Lords condemning of humane learning, arts and tongues of which the Apostle; 1 Cor. 1. speaketh not, but of their carnall abuse of these and glorying in them? and it is to begge the question, to say that this learning is carnall and fleshly, in it self, which is now the question. 2 Nor was it out of pride of humane learning, tongues, and arts that the Iewes stumbled at Christ and the wisedome of the Crosse, but out of false glosses they put on the Scriptures of the Old Testament, seeking by the law salvation, Rom. 10▪ 1. and by this argument the Old Testament is condemned as well as arts and tongues, as an impediment to faith.
Obiect. 3. We are compleat in Christ.
Ans. It is not worthy an answer, for as touching spirituall furniture, righteousnesse, salvation, teaching by the Spirit, we are compleat in Christ, ergo the ministery and teaching of men is no instrument, no externall means of our compleatnesse in Christ, it followes not at all.
Obiect. 4 Christ sent mee not to preach the Gospell with the wisedome of words; least I should make the crosse of Christ of no effect.
Ans. By the wisedome of mans word…, he meanes, not learning, Rhetoricke, eloquence simply, for …aul preached the Gospell with more of that, and spake more tongues, then they all; but the fonde, affectate, vaine soaring and confiding in these, as if they could ad vertue to the Gospell to save soules.
Obiect. 5 The weapons of our warefare are not carnall.
Ans. None of us are so mad as to say that humane learning, arts and tongues can convert soules, and lead high thoughts captive, to the obedience of Christ: but that Rhethorick, Logick, Tongues, learning sanctified, fitly made use of, by the Spirit being Spiritualized, as we see in the Prophets and Apostles may conduce to the opening and due understanding of the Scriptures. Other abused scriptures and bablings, I will not answer nor trouble the reader with all.