Against Pretended Liberty of Conscience, Chapter 9
CHAP. IX. Of Liberty of propheſying of erroneous inditement of Conſcience that it is not our Rule.
BUt we judge that Hereticks admoniſhed and convinced of their errour doe ſinne on the borders, at leaſt, of the ſin againſt the Holy Ghoſt, in regard they be foreign, ſelfe condemned, as Paul ſaith, Tit. 3. 10. A man that is an hereticke after the firſt and ſecond admonition, reject. 11. Knowing that he, that is ſuch, is ſubverted, and ſinneth, being condemned of himſelfe. Where the Apoſtle ſaith, an admoniſhed and wrought upon hereticke, who is convinced of the truth, and yet ſtill reſiſteth foreign, He is perverted, or ſubverted, deſperately perverted, like a building throwne downe to the foundation. 2. he finneth, as condemned of himſelfe, that is, judged and condemned by his owne conſcience, and ſo ſinneth willfully, and with a high meaſure of light, but hee ſhutteth his eyes againſt the light and known truth,Re…n, apol. c. 24. 280, 281. and reſiſteth it.
1 The Hereticke here ſpoken of,Ve lelius de Ar…n. Ar…ini. P 4. l. 2. c. 4. n. 5, Tit. 3. 10. is not the man who moves ſuch queſtions (ſay they) as he knowes to be vaine and light as Arminians ſay. For as Vedelius ſaith, he expreſly ſpeakes of an heretick.
2 It is a queſtion,Who is an to Arminians Titus 3. 10. if any bee called an Hereticke in the word, becauſe he moves ſuch queſtions. 1. The Hereticke here is ſubverted, and ſo turned off the foundation Chriſt. But he that moveth vaine and unprofitable queſtions can at beſt, but build his hay & ſtubble upon the foundation Chriſt; now ſuch a man may bee builded on the foundation, and ſaved, though the fire deſtroy his worke, and ſo he is not turned off the foundation. Yea, if he wittingly and willingly move vain and light queſtions he cannot be ſaved, nor doth that follow, for his knowledg of the levity of theſe queſtions aggravates his ſin, but cannot cauſe to amount to a ſin ſo high as to ſubvert the mans faith, becauſe he may keepe the foundation, though he hold theſe vaine and light opinions, for they are not in themſelves deſtructive of the foundation. 2. There is no mention, nor any hint here of vaine and light queſtions, but of admoniſhed heretickes, therefore Euſebius l. 4. c. 13. referres it to thoſe that deny Chriſts divinity, to Marcion and Corinthus, and they ſay John would not ſtay in the ſtoves with Cerinthus, Nevi te eſſe primo genitum Satauae.and Polycarpus his diſciple would not ſpeake with Marcion, but ſaid, I know thee to be the firſt borne of Sathan.
3. It is here to be noted, that theſe Authors alſo make the conſcience, though erroneous even in fundamentalls, the rule of faith, if the perſon beleeve that he worſhips God according to the rule of the word, and there be ſome morall honeſty in him, and ſo teach there ſhould be a toleration of al hereticks,None to Libertines are hereticks, but ſuch as profeſſe a Religion which they with perſwaſion beleeve to be falſe. then no man is the heretick, but he who profeſſeth points of truth, which he believeth to be lyes & untruth; but ſo there is not an hereticke in the world, but the devill, and ſuch as profeſſe a falſe Religion, before men, which in their conſcience they beleeve to be falſe. But the Apoſtle ſaith, 1 Tim. 3 1. Now the Spirit ſpeaketh expreſly that in the latter times men ſhall depart from the faith, giving beed to ſeducing ſpirits (Popiſh Prieſts and Familiſts) and doctrine of Devills, 2. Speaking lyes in hypocriſie, having their conſcience ſeared with an hot iron, 3. Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abſtaine from meats. Now a ſeared conſcience burnt with an hot iron may and doth teach marriage to be unlawfull to ſome, and doe beleeve it for a truth, that Church-men ſhould not intangle themſelves with the affaires of this life, ſuch as marriage and care of children, becauſe Paſtors goe a warfare for Jeſus Chriſt, yet the text ſaith, they that ſo teach are ſeducers, who with a ſeared conſcience, ſpeake lyes in hypocriſie, and ſo muſt be hereticks and worſe.
2. No rule can be falſer, and more crooked then the conſcience, for if ye muſt be obliged to follow conſcience, becauſe it is conſcience, or becauſe right or wrong; if you muſt follow conſcience becauſe conſcience, yee muſt ever follow your conſcience, though never ſo wrong; for the moſt erroneous conſcience is conſcience, though the devill ſhould immediately actuate it, yet doth not leave off to bee conſcience, and to be the rule, and if ſo, when the conſcience of ſome ſaith its good ſervice to God to kill the Apoſtles of our Lord, becauſe they preach the Goſpel, then doe perſecuters nothing, but what they are in duty bound to doe, when they murther the Apoſtles, becauſe they preach the Goſpel; for to follow the rule, which God hath appointed muſt be a bounden duty. And the ſame muſt follow, if the conſcience as evill be the rule, for then ſhould men ſerve God, in ſacrificing their ſonnes to God, in community and plurality of wives, when ever their conſcience ſhould dictate any ſuch thing to be lawfull, though, in it ſelfe, it be moſt contrary to the word of God. If the conſcience as good, or as the Arminians ſeeme to ſay, as principled with morall honeſty be our rule, then the conſcience as conſcience is not the rule, but as it is ruled by morall honeſty, this wee cannot ſay, for morall honeſty qualifying the conſcience as a rule, is not able to render the conſcience a ſtreight and perfect rule in ſupernaturall duties, ſince it is but a naturall principle in us, and that a moſt corrupt one, by reaſon of ſin, and how then ſhould it regulate us in all the wayes of the ſervice and worſhip of God? ſhould it ever oblige us to beleeve in him, who juſtifieth the ungodly?
2. Againe, the Lord maketh the Law and his revealed will in the word, the rule of all our actions, Deut. 5. 31, 32. Deut, 12. 31, 32. Pſ. 119. 9. 2 King. 10. 31.
3. If that which is called Liberty of propheſying be examined, it is either a liberty of beleeving, and teaching what is intrinſecally true according to the word, now this they will not ſay, for we deny not liberty to propheſie truth to all that are called to publiſh it.Liberty of propheſying taken in a threefold ſenſe Or ſecondly, it is a liberty to propheſie what is falſe, which is conceived to be falſe, that is devilliſh licence not liberty; ſure God hath allowed no ſuch liberty to men to propheſie falſely, and to deſtroy ſoules, in this meaning, God hath no more allowed us liberty of propheſying falſe things, then liberty of killing, whoreing, robbing, or lying. Or thirdly, liberty of propheſying is liberty of propheſying truths or falſehood, which yet are conceived to be truth not falſehood by thoſe who propheſie; nor hath God given ſo a liberty of propheſying,The words quench not the ſpirit, vindicated from ſpeaking for liberty of propheſying any thing Remon. Apol. c. 24. Fo. 281, 282 for every true liberty of propheſying, God hath given to his Prophets and Apoſtles, if it bee a lawfull gift, the uſe thereof is commanded and injoyned to us, as the Arminians ſay it is in theſe words, 1 Theſſ. 5. 19, 20. Quench not the Spirit, deſpiſe not propheſying, for they ſay, the meaning of theſe words are, Quench not the ſpirituall ſenſe of the word which any man ſaith and perſwadeth himſelfe he hath from the Spirit of God, that is, either by inſpiration or ſuggeſtion of the Spirit, or by the helpe of the Spirit of God, Spiritum ne extinguite, id eſt, ſpirituales verbi Dei ſenſus quos quis ſe habere a Spiritu Dei, id eſt, vel per inſpirationem & ſuggeſtionem Spiritus vel anxiliante Spiritu Dei ſibi perſuadet, quo ſenſu vocem Spiritus videntur ipſi Apoſtoli aliquando accipere, 2 Theſ. 2. 2. 1. Ioh. 4. 1.in which ſenſe the Apoſtles ſeeme to take the word, 2 Theſſ. 2. 2. 1 Joh. 4. 1. Now all the liberty of propheſying is here ſet upon a brazen pillar of (ſo it ſeemes to be) and we ſay (ſo it ſeemes not to be) but God certainly will not have Nathan, David, Samuel, Ezechiel, in either Old or New Teſtament, to extinguiſh the Spirit, or to deſpiſe propheſying, but God gave no liberty; nor entered it ever in his heart to command ſuch liberty of propheſying to his Prophets of old, except we ſay, that God gave to Nathan liberty to ſay to David, Doe all that is in thine heart, build thou the Temple, and the Lord ſhall be with thee, which was an untruth, and that God bad Samuel ſay of Eliah, he is the Lords anointed, and gave him liberty to propheſie that which was falſe, whereas the Lord ſaith to Ezechiel, ch. 2. Heare the word of my mouth, and Jeremiah c. 1. 17. Ariſe and ſpeake unto them all that I command thee; Qua quam alio ſenſu accipi poteſt.and thereby bindes them up, and denyeth all liberty of preaching or propheſying their owne word, or their owne perſwaſions, even under the notion of the word of the Lord, and doubtleſſe when Nathan exhorted David to build the Temple, and Samuel ſaid, that Eliah was the Lords. anointed, they ſpake not that as their owne word, but were perſwaded that God revealed himſelfe to them, though both were miſtaken groſſely; ſo Chriſt ſaith to his Apoſtles, Matth. 28. 19, 20. Goe preach, teaching them to obſerve all things whatſoever I have commanded you; he interditeth them upon the ſame reaſon to bring any of their owne Commandements flowing from their owne Spirit, under any pretence, though they thinke them right, though Peter ſhould conceive to Judaize a little, Gal. 2. was the minde of Chriſt, and hee might preach it, and practiſe it, as the minde of Chriſt, yet Peter and all the Apoſtles, Matth. 28. are bound up▪ they have no liberty of conſcience to preach their owne (videtur) ſo it ſeemes; for then ſhould our faith be ultimately reſolved into mens phanſies, and (ſo thinketh our Reverend Saltmarſh, or Wil. Del) and not into the word of God. Libertines ſay their Goddeſſe, their Diana, is ſtrangled and fettered, and the ſpirit it quenched, if this liberty of propheſying be denyed to them; but to reſtraine liberty of ſinning and lying, is no violence done to the ſpirit of propheſie, but this expoſition calleth the phanſies of men the ſpirituall ſenſe of the word of God, as Familiſts and Antinomians in England father their dreames upon the Spirit of God. So Pe…. Stairie, who ordinarily preacheth the rovings of his own phanſie, taught 29. Oct. 1647. before the Houſe of Commons, after the Houſes paſſed a brave Ordinance for Liberty of Conſcience and Propheſying, that the Houſe ſhould not oppoſe, or reſiſt any thing that pretended to Chriſt. Now if he ſpake this to the Houſe as a Parliament, he forbad to hinder a Simon Magus, an Hymeneus, a Philetus, a Jezabel, a Jeſuite, to preach▪ what he pleaſed, for Jeſuites pretend to Ieſus both name and thing, all the Familiſts, Sotinians, Arrians, Libertines, and falſe teachers, who deceive (if it were poſſible) the very elect, pretend to Ieſus Chriſt, and to the anointing. If he ſpake to the people, they are not by the word of truth, nor all the Miniſters in England to refute the falſe Teachers that pretend to Chriſt, for to refute them, were to oppoſe and reſiſt them, for if they pretend to Chriſt, you know not ſince yee are not infallible, but they may be teachers, ſent of God, though they bee the moſt errand ſeducers that ever ſpake, and ſo they are no wayes to be reſiſted, who reſiſt the truth.
2▪ Quench not the Spirit, muſt have this meaning, Quench not the dreames of Independents, Libertines, Antinomians, for they perſwade themſelves they have the Spirit of God and minde of Chriſt, in all they ſpeak.
3 But this Quench not the Spirit, is, cheriſh, entertaine the gracious motions and inſpirations of the Spirit in your ſelves, and deſpiſe not, that is, highly reverence the preaching of the Goſpel, ſeparate not the Spirit and the Word, for it is a litote, where leſſe is ſpoken but more intended, as Eſay 50. 5. Ioh. 6. 37. but this gloſſe yeeldeth this ſenſe. Deſpiſe not the Spirit, that is, beleeve what ever a godly preacher ſaith, be it his owne dreames and rovings to be the word of God, and reverence it, for he perſwades himſelfe it is ſo, and ſpeaketh them as the oracles of God, though they be his owne wind-mils, and ſparkles of his own vaine-glory. For this, (not to quench, not to deſpiſe) is undeniably to beleeve theſe propheſyings as the word of God▪ how then are we to try all doctrines and ſpirits, if we are to take all for fi…ſt that comes into the net? But ſince you are not infallible (ſay Libertines) it is an extinguiſhing of the Spirit to account that to be the ſpirit of Sathan which agreeth not with your ſpirit, R…mon Ap 282if your authority were infallible, as that of the Apoſtles was, the anſwer would have ſome colour, though the Apoſtles uſed not that authority to cruſh liberty of propheſying, but they commend the trying of the Spirits, and ſince our judgement is not infallible, reaſon requires that we ſhould not deſire other ſpirits pious and good to be oppreſſed and ſuffocated.
Anſw. To deſire falſe Prophets to ceaſe out of the land, is no quenching of the Spirit.We reject no Spirit, becauſe it agrees not with ours; for our Spirit is not the rule, as Libertines contend, but becauſe it ſwerves from the oracles of God; if any man ſpeake, let him ſpeake as the oracles of God; let us propheſie according to the proportion of faith.
2. This anſwer ſaith, that no man now in the Chriſtian Church can try all things, doctrines, and ſpirits, and refuſe the evil and deluding ſpirits, & hold faſt that which is good, and beleeve the ſpirits, ſpeaking from God, becauſe it is to extinguiſh the Spirit (ſay our Libertines,) ſince we are not infallible Apoſtles to judge theſe Spirits for mad phanſies that agree not with our Spirit; we ſay its impoſſible to try all things, and hold that which is good, but we muſt judge falſe ſpirits to bee falſe ſpirits, not becauſe they agree not with ours (that is the calumny of Libertines) but becauſe they ſwerve from the word of truth, though we be not infallible as the Apoſtles were, but this reaſon ſuppoſeth that becauſe of want of Apoſtolick infallibility we ſhould try all ſpirits, and all doctrines, but condemn, reject, and refuſe none, as ſpirits of the devill, for that is to extinguiſh the ſpirit, and pitch and ſettle our faith upon no doctrine, but like Scepticks ſail about the coaſts of truth all our life, and dye in no beliefe at all.
3 It is falſe that the Apoſtles did not cruſh your liberty of propheſying, for Paul, 2 Theſſ. 2. 2. extinguiſheth thoſe ſpirits who would ſhake the faith of the Theſſalonians, to make them beleeve that the day of Chriſt was at hand, for he forbids to beleeve them, and John extinguiſheth the Familiſtical and Antichriſtian ſpirits, who denied C…riſt to be come in the fleſh.
O but (ſay Libertines) theſe falſe ſpirits, knew what they preached to be lyes, and yet preached them as from God, and wee ſtand for no ſuch liberty of propheſying, nor ſuch ſpirits as theſe.
Anſw. This is a conjecture, that they beleeved the day of Chriſt was not near hand, and yet preached it was near, there is not one ſhaddow in the text, or colour hinteth that way: for, Familiſts and Seducers now, have not ſo much to ſay for their dreams as they had, yea, they had much to ſay, that made them beleeve that day was near hand, ſince Chriſt had ſaid, theſe were the laſt days, and the Apoſtles do writ it, that new were the laſt times, and that the end of the world was fallen on them, and they preached al they wrote, and ſo it is rather like they beleeved the day of Chriſt was near, and the Antichriſt in Jobus time, had as much as ſeducers now have, to make them beleeve that Chriſt was not come in the fleſh, ſince the blinded Jewes alleadged all the propheſies of the old Teſtament as not fulfilled in the ſon of Mary, and ſure they had more to make them beleeve it, then Gortin, Saltmarſh, and other Familiſts (whom Libertines (I beleeve) call a part of the godly party) if they ſpeake according to their conſcience, can alleadge for their new, falſe, and fleſhly viſions they preach and print.
4 Though we be not infallible as the Apoſtles were, yet reaſon will not ſay, we ſhould not deſire that pious and good ſpirits, that is, thoſe that call themſelves ſo, but are lyers, to bee extinguiſhed. For wee are to pray that God would cauſe the unclean ſpirit, and the falſe Prophet, Libertines and others, to ceaſe out of the land, and ſo faith requires, wee ſhould try them by the word, and pray and deſire they were cruſhed and extinguiſhed, I mean not in their perſon, but as touching their falſe doctrine.
But preſent your ſelfe (ſay Arminians) before the tribunal of Papiſts and they will condemne you of Hereſie,Remon. Apo. 282. and if you alledge the ſpirit teacheth you, they will anſwer, is that the ſpirit which corrupt and madde reaſon teacheth you? the ſpirit of the Devill, ſaid the ſpirit of Chriſt was the ſpirit of Beelzebub.
Anſw. What inferre Libertines hence againſt us? this is to place no more power in Synods but directive: Sir, if it pleaſe you, this is Gods will. But wee hold lawfull. Synods (which is not in the Synagogue of Rome or Papiſt) may as wel rebuke, exhort, and inſtruct with all Authority, as Timothy, or any one particular paſtor, and this is more than the directive and ſceptick teaching of one private Libertine, teaching (with a reſerve) convincing and condemning another in a Scepticall way. But all tends to this, Proteſtant Synods convened in Chriſts name, can ſay no more, but wee teach what our judgement is, it may be true, it may be falſe, yeeld a Sceptik conſent with a reſerve to it, that is all, and why? becauſe Proteſtant Synods convened in the name of Antichriſt can peremptorily and tirannically condemn the truth as hereſie, and ſay they are infallible, and their Synodicall decrees are the very word of God, Ergo, Proteſtant Synods, may not authoritatively command you in the name of Chriſt to beleeve and receive their lawfull decrees conditionally, after yee finde them agreeable to the word of God, there is no conſequence here. Prelates condemned the truth as hereſie and ſchiſme, Phariſees condemned Chriſt as a Samaritan, ergo, Proteſtants ſound in the faith cannot condemne Popery, Familiſme, and ergo, Paul cannot condemne … as a perverter of the waies of righteouſneſſe: this is, as if you would ſay, a robber cannot by law jure condemne a traveller to render his purſe, ergo, a Judge cannot compell this traveller to pay juſt debt.
2 We do not inſtance from the teaching of the ſpirit, but from the cleare word of God.