Truth Maintained 2, Discourse · Second commentary 23 – Second commentary 24
TREATISE.
B. But ſuppoſe this perfect Reformation were e. c.) It ſeemes you ſuſpect the ſtrength of your outworkes, that you ſo ſeaſonably retire to your Caſtle, Now at laſt condemni…g this doctrine, not as falſe, but unfitting to be preached.
C. Were among the foreign I thinke you would ſay foreign or otherwiſe Sir my learning will not extend to underſtand this your new greeke.
D. He were no wiſe and faithfull Devine) So then you conclude me a fooliſh & deceitful Miniſter, & I had rather you ſhould call me ſo tentimes, then my guiltie conſcience ſhould tell me ſo once, for concealing of a neceſſary truth.
E. Who would not preſerve that ſecret for holy advantages.) Firſt the queſtion is, wheither or no it lay in my power if I would to keepe this Point ſecret. What your people at Heſlerton… in Yorkeſhire are, you beſt know in this Doctrine, I was not the teacher but the remembrancer of my people at the Savoy, from whom had I cloſely covered it with both my hands, they would have ſeene it through all my fingers. Beſides what hope can one have to keepe it ſecret when (as you ſay) ſo great and glorious a light is ſhining now-a-dayes.
But if I could,10. That the Doctrine of the Churches imperfection may ſafely bee preached and cannot honeſtly bee concealed. I ought not to ſuppreſſe it. Let Popiſh tenents be ſhutt in a cloiſter, and ſicke opinions keepe their Chamber, God never lighted this Truth for us to put it under a buſhell, it being alwaies ſeaſonable to bee divulged, and now dangerous to bee concealed.
Theſe holy advantages, (I would not count them advantages were they not holy,) ariſe from Preaching this point. Firſt, it awakens men from their Idle dreames of their conceited perfection of a Church here, and too many I feare have made this common-wealth here woefully militant, under pretence here to make the Church happily triumphant.
Secondly, to teach all Chriſtians (Majeſtrates and Miniſters moſt eſpecially) as induſtry ſo patience, daily to doe, and conſtantly to ſuffer no whitt diſheartned in their endeavours to perfection. Knowing though things bee badd, after their beſt labours to amend them, that this proceedes from the inevitable vanity, to which the creature is ſubject.
Thirdly, to weane men from this world, making them to love and long for the time of the reſtitution of all things, when this world as a watch out of tune ſhall not onelyonly bee taken aſſ…nder and ſcoured, but alſo have all the wheeles made new and then bee perfectly reformed.
Yea Sir, let us try whether you or I proceeding on our contrary principles, ſhall more effectually perſwade a reformation, you will tell the world that a perfect reformation in this life is attaineable, even to the anticipating of Heaven heare, and this you will preſſe with all your power and flowers of Retorick, and all little enough to performe ſo unſavory an untruth. Now ſee ſit what miſcheifes will follow hereupon.
1. Becauſe one falſehood requires more to ſupport it, you muſt call in other auxilliary falſities to defend this, and ſo engage your ſelfe in a multitude of errors.
2. Seeing ſl…ghts and ſhifts can never laſt long, your forgery will be detected.
3. You are lyable to Heavens Pillorie to bee punniſhed for holy fraud.
4. You will ſcarce be truſted afterwards though telling truth being once convicted and ever ſuſpected of falſhood.
As for thoſe whom you have deceived unto the utmoſt of their endevours of Reformation, on your falſe perſwaſion that the perfection thereof may bee had in this world, though their labours therein bee very forward at the firſt, yet ſoone will they wither and weaken▪ with the graine in the Goſpel that wanted Roote (no Roote and a falſe Roote are the ſame in effect,) and Gods bleſſing cannot be expected on the deceitfull proceedings.
As for mee who have no cunning in ſuch hunting, but pleaſe my ſelfe with Iacob to bee a plaine man, I would goe another way to worke, and tell them the worſt firſt, that indeede it is vaine to expect a perfect reformation in this world. However let them comfort themſelves, that wee ſerve ſuch a Maſter who accepts of the will for the deede, and knowes whereof we are made. Hee remembreth that wee are but duſt. And therefore let us doe our beſt, and ſtrugle againſt our infirmities, being confident that God in Chriſt will pardon what is amiſſe, and reward what is good in us. And I doubt not but ſuch doctrine by Gods bleſſing will both take deeper impreſſion in mens hearts, and bring forth better fruits of amendment in their lives.
F. I commend Bodin and Tacitus for their politicall faithfulneſſe, they writt far, yet would not Sun the imperiall foreign nor make them popular.) I confeſſe it to bee unfitting, yea dangerous to impart miſteries of State to private people, for ſuch Iewels are to bee lockt in a ſafe and ſure Cabinet, the boſoms of Politians, Not ſo in neceſſary Points of Divinity, for though every private man hath not a State to governe, hee hath a ſoule to ſave, and therefore muſt be partner in all wholſome doctrines.
Indeede in ſome caſes, Preachers may though not finally ſuppreſſe, yet ſeaſonably conceale, or rather warily deferre the publiſhing of ſome points of Religion, Firſt when they are not of abſolute concernement to ſalvation, & the Miniſter by his Chriſtian diſcretion plainely foreſees, that all the good which rationally can bee expected to redound from Preaching ſuch a Truth, will not countervaile the ill, which in probability will inevitably follow thereupon; Or elſe when the Auditors are not capeable as yet of ſuch difficult Doctrines. Chriſt himſelfe did fitt his Wines to his bottles, powring in not what hee could give, but they could take, leaſt otherwiſe hee ſhould rather ſpill his liquor, then fill his veſſells.
Neither of theſe caſes now alledged take place concerning the publiſhing of the Doctrine of the Impoſsibility of the Churches perfection in this world. For we may by Gods bleſſing juſtly expect and promiſe to our ſelves and others much good and comfort from the preaching thereof, as we have largely proved before. Nor dare I ſo much to diſparage the times we live in, (now it being above a hundred yeares ſince Luthers reformation) as to count them to have age ſo much, and Knowledge ſo litle, as not yet to be capable with ſafety & profit of ſo plaine & true a Doctrine, ſome ſhortly expect the day of Iudgment, and ſure then the world is already come to Age to underſtand Truths, except ſhee come not out of her Mynority till juſt ſhee be ready to die and to be diſſolved.
G. Would not Sunne the Imperiall foreign.) Godly ſecrets in Religion in ſome reſpects may be Sunn'd. Firſt that thereby they may be tryed, (all Truths have Eagles eyes) whether or no they can behold, and beare the Sunne Beames. Secondly, becauſe our *Math. 10. 26Saviour hath ſaid, what I tell you in darkneſſe, that ſpeake in the light, and what you heare in the Eare that preach you upon the Houſe toppe. Laſtly, that by proclaiming them the Godly may have an oppertunity to receive them, and the wicked be rendred unexcuſable for refuſing them, when ſuch Truths are made generally knowne.
H. Nor make them popular.) I diſtinguiſh on the word Popular. If it be taken, as generally it is, (uſe having confined a word, of generall acception in it ſelfe, to an ill ſence) to Court the good will of people for any private or ſineſter end, it is utterly unlawfull for Popularity, which is neceſſary love, in a Prince, is unlawfull luſt, in a Subject, who may not Court the Kings wife, for to him a lone, are the People married in a Politicke Relation. All honeſt men therefore diſclaime, to make Truths Popular in this fence, to impart them to the vulgar to gaine any vaine applauſe. Yea, conſider herein, whether you rather be not faultie in making the Imperiall foreign to bee Popular, who incite and incourage ordinary People, to make a Publique Reformation
But Truths in Divinity muſt be made Popular, that is bee communicated to all people, in true ſinceritie for the ſaving of their Soules.
The*Iude. 3. Apoſtle, calleth it the Common ſalvation, and therefore it muſt be preached to all in common, our Sermons muſt, aſwell be ad Populum as ad clerum.
Otherwiſe ſuch Monopolies are illegall and diſtructive to the State of the Church, for any Miniſters to engroſſe any wholſome Doctrine to themſelves, and not imparte it to their Pariſh, except in the caſes afore mentioned.
EXAMINER. Apology.
I have now done (I will not ſay) refuting, but committing Errors, I am a fraid my haſt at this time, hath made me mend one fault, only with another.
TREATISE.
I will not oppoſe yours, but annex my owne concluſion. If I ſhould deny my owne many Imperfections, my practiſe would confute what my Pen hath maintained. Reader, for the matter of what I have written, I require thee, in Gods name do me Iuſtice, for the manner, method, or words thereof, I requeſt thee, as I am a Man ſhew mee favour. Thinke not the worſe of the Truths, for my ſake, but thinke the better of me, for the Truths ſake which I have defended. And conceive me not to be of a brawling and controverſiall diſpoſition, who do deſire and will pray for an Agreement from my Soule, ſo long as my ſpeech ſhall ſerve me. Yea if I ſhould chance to be ſtricken dumbe, I would with Zacharia make ſignes for table booke… and write the name of that which I deſire above all earthly thing is PEACE. God ſend it, Amen.
FINIS.
End of the text · Thomas Fuller, Truth Maintained 2 (1643)