Commentary on the Gospels and Acts, Commentary 1 · Chapter 7 · Verse 16
Verse 16. Ye shall know them by their fruits]
That is, chiefly by their doctrines, which tend either to the infecting of the judgementforeign. with errour, or tainting of the life with uncleanness:, or both: and commonly both, as those ancient Heretikes, whose2 Pet. 2 2. … (or as other Copies reade) lascivious waies many followed; Aug de civ.by reason of whom the way of truth was evil spoken of. St Austin Dei. l 10. c. 51.observeth, that in the loose and lascivious Heretikes, manyNe … nos ad … — … admovēt. foul-mouthed men met with matter of blaspheming the Name of Christ, because they also would needs be held Christians. And Epiphanius adds, that for their sakes many Heathens would not so much as have any conversation with Christians, or hear them speak. Who hath not heard what a stumbling-block and backbiasEpiphan. to the conversion of the Jews is the Idolatry of the Papists,Joh. 9. 16. and the blasphemies of other Christians? By their fruits they know such persons not to be of God, as their Predecessours … of our Saviour. This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the Sabbath day. The proposition here was sound (had they not mistook themselves in the assumption) he that keepeth not the Sabbath is not of God. We may also safely reason in like sort. Such and such deny or question principles, as the Antitinitarians, …, Eutychians, and others not a few in the Primitive Church, so pester'd with arch-he …, that it was then as Erasmus hath it) an ingenious thing to be a Christian. Had these been of God, they would have hearkened to his Word ( …. 8. 47.) which isMibicerte … quam diabolus erit, … Arianus, … Hilarius: qui … vocavit …, …. plain in principles, and commandeth to hate false heterodox opinions, Psal. 119. 104. and those that broach them, buzzing doubts in mens heads, Rom. 16. 17. Joh. 10 5. That heretike confuted by Junius took an ungain course for his own satisfaction, who confest that he had spent two and twenty years in trying religions. He had been with Jews, Arians, Mahometans, and … sects; that at length he might finde truth among them: which is (as he saith) Viam per avia quaerere, to seek truth by wandering thorow all sorts of errours. But truth, 1. is divine, grounded upon the Scriptures; wherein we have a most sure word, is Peter hath it, and self-sufficient, saith Paul, for instruction in 2 Pet. 1. 19.…, to make the man of God perfect, thorowly furnished unto 2 Tim 3. 16, 17.all good works. So that it is impossible Gods elect should be finallyMat. 24. 24. deceived (though for a time they may be fearfully miscarried, as the young Prophet was by the old Bethelite, and Barnabas by Peter) because they are all taught of God; they have an unctionIsa. …. …. within them, the holy Ghost that illighteneth both the Organ Ioh. 7 17.and the object; and so teacheth them all things, that they understandIoh …. 20. the Scriptures, and grow to a certainty, Psal. 19. 7. Prov. Iob 22. 28.1. 4. All Christs sheep are rationall, and will not follow a stranger, Iob. …. 5. though they are simple to evil, yet they are wise to that which is good. If they be of any standing and worth their years (as we say) they have a full assurance of understanding, Coloss. 2 2. and vers. 7. they are rooted and stablished in the faith, and in the present truth, 2 Pet. 1. 12. so that, though man or Angel should1 Cor. 2. ult. object against it, yet they would not yeeld to him, Gal. 1. 8, 9.Heb. 5. ult. For he that is spirituall discerneth all things, as having the … of Christ, a spirit of discerning, and senses exercised to difference good Rom. 12. 1.from evil, being able to give a reason of that he believeth, 1 Pet. 3.Rom. …. …. 15. to perform a reasonable service, even the obedience of faith, whence floweth and followeth rest to his soul, …. 6. 16. and … consolation, Coloss. 2. 2. Say he cannot answer all the cavils of an adversary, yet he can hold the conclusion; and though he cannot dispute, yet he can die (as that Martyr said) in defenceRom. 14. 5. of the truth, whereof he is fully perswaded in his ownAcris … su … & … saepè … per inania se … brat nubila; ne … remigium praecipitent …. minde, bottomed upon the Scriptures, and ballasted therewith, as S. Ambrose saith the Bee is with a little stone, that she be not blown away with the winde, 2. Secondly, Truth is single, one and the same, at agreement with it …. But errour is manifold, dissonant, and contradictory to it self. How often doth Bellarmine deny that in one place, that he had affirmed in another? That the Scripture is the very word of God, saith he, it can by no means be assured out of Scripture. But in another discourseAmbr. (forgetting what he had said) he affirmeth, that among other… argumenta alia, etiam habetur ex Scriptura ipsa. lib. 1 c. 2. de verbo …. … de remittendis … qui confitentur Deo non videtur ulla extare in … literis. B …. de justis l. 1. c. 21. arguments of the Divinity of the Scriptures, there is sufficient proof to be had out of the Scriptures themselves: So, he cannot bethink himself (if you'l believe him) where in all holy Writ, there is any promise made of pardon of sins to such as confesse … to God. Again, he teacheth that the substance of the bread in the Sacrament, is not turned into the substance of Christs body productivè, as one thing is made of another: but that the bread goes away, and Christs body cometh into the room of it adductivè, as one thing succeeds into the place of another, the first being voided. And this, saith he, is the opinion of the Church of Rome, himself being Reader of controversies at Rome. But …, Reader at Salamanca in Spain confutes Bellarmines opinionCade of the Church. 247. terming it Translocation, not Transubstantiation; and saith it is not the Churches opinion. So the greatest Popish Clerks cannot determine how the Saints know our hearts and praiers: whether by hearting, or seeing, or presence every where, or by GodsB. … …, … 2. cap. …. sect. 1. relating, or revealing mens praiers and needs unto them. All which waics some of them hold as possible or probable, and others deny them, and confute them as untrue. Thus these great master-builders are confounded in their language, and thus … it is to know what the Church Malignant holdeth: Her own dearest and learnedest sonnes know not; God having2 …. 2. delivered them up to the efficacy of errour, which frets as a gangrene, … Tim. …. 17.and spreds as leaven, sowring the whole lump. Look how the heathens were at a meer uncertainty in their opinions and …; as the … in Jonah prai'd to their … Gods, and bad him doe likewise. Others of them usually closed… …. …. …. up their praiers with Dij que Diae que omnes. Lest haply they might mistake in any one: so are …. Having once stept over the pale of truth, they know not where or when they shall stop,… Tim. 3. 13. or stay, but run on from bad to worse, …, and being deceived. Bertius and Barret, of Arminians become professed Papists: which differ no more, saith a learned man, then the Stoicks Cameron.of old did from the Cynicks, by the wearing of their cloaks onelyonly. If the Lutherans admit of universall grace, the Huberians will thereupon bring in universall election, the Puccians naturall… Prideaux, Lect. faith, the Naturalists (as that Cestercian monster lately … at London, did) will explode Christ and the Scriptures. Apestilent sect there was not long since in Arragon, (whose founders were a hypocriticall crew of their Priests) who affectingSands his relation. in themselves and their followers, a certain Angelicall purity, fell suddenly to the very counterpoint of justifying bestiality. These called themselves Illuminati, as if they onelyonly had bin in the light, and all the world besides in …. So (besides theIrenaeus. Gnosticks, who held themselves to be the onelyonly knowing men) the Manichees derived their name of Manica, because that whatsoever they taught, was to be taken as food from heaven. Irenaeus tells of some that counted their own writings to be gospels, AndDixerunt in Anabaptist arum … inveniri, … sanctos esse. the family of love set out their Evangelium regni. Anabaptists brag much of their Enthusiasmes: and the Jesuites vaunt that the Church is the soul of the world, the Clergy of the Church, and they of the Clergy: and yet for their wickednesse, though a man, saith One, should declaim against them, t ll all the sand of… Annal. Ignatius his conclave. the Sea had runne thorow his houre-glasse, he could not possibly want matter. Can there any grapes be gathered of these thorns,The French have a berry which they name … de spine, the grape of a thorn: but this were a … commodity. any figs of these thistles? Our Saviour makes use of these common proverbs, to prove that this is so plain a truth, that none can be ignorant of it, if he have but his eies in his head, or doe not wink wilfully, as those, Qui ut liberius peccent, … ignorant, who are willingly ignorant, that they may sin without controul.