DIRECTIONS FOR THE DISCOVERY OF THE TRUTH AMONG CONTENDERS, AND THE
ESCAPE OF HERESY AND DECEIT.
Though truth be naturally the object of man's understanding, to which
it hath a certain inclination, and though it be a delightful thing to
know the truth;[117] yet that which is saving meeteth with so much
opposition in the flesh, and in the world, that while it is applauded
in the general, it is resisted and rejected in particulars; and yet
while the use of holy truth is hated and obstinately cast away, the
name and the barren profession of it is made the matter of the
glorying of hypocrites, and the occasion of reproaching dissenters as
heretics, and the world is filled with bloody persecutions, and
inhuman, implacable enmities and divisions, by a wonderful zeal for
the name of truth, even by those men that will rather venture on
damnation, than they will obey the truth which they so contend for.
Multitudes of men have tormented or murdered others as heretics, who
themselves must be tormented in hell for not being christians. It
concerneth us therefore to deal very wisely and cautelously in this
business.
_Direct._ I. Take heed lest there be any carnal interest or lust which
maketh you unwilling to receive the truth, or inclineth you to error,
that it may serve that interest or lust. It is no small number of men
that are strangers or enemies to the truth, not because they cannot
attain the knowledge of it, but because they would not have it to be
truth. And men of great learning and natural parts are frequently thus
deceived and led into error by a naughty, carnal, biassed heart;
either because that error is the vulgar opinion, and necessary to
maintain their popular reputation, and avoid reproach; or because it
is the way of men in power, and necessary to their preferment and
greatness in the world; or because the truth is contrary to their
fleshly lusts and pleasures, or contrary to their honour and worldly
interest, and would hazard their reputations or their lives. How loth
is a sensual, ungodly man to believe that "without holiness none shall
see God," and that he "that is in Christ is a new creature, and that
if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, the same is none of his, and
that if they live after the flesh they shall die!"[118] How loth is
the ambitious minister to believe that the way of Christ's service
lieth not in worldly pomp, or ease, or pleasures; but in taking up the
cross and following Christ in self-denial, and in being as the servant
of all, in the unwearied performance of careful oversight and
compassionate exhortations unto all the flock! Let a controversy be
raised about any of these points, and the mind of lazy, ambitious men
doth presently fall in with that part which gratifieth their fleshly
lusts, and excuseth them from that toilsome way of duty which they
already hate. The secret lusts and vices of a false, hypocritical
heart, are the commonest and the powerfulest arguments for error; and
such men are glad, that great men or learned men will give so much
ease to their consciences, and shelter to their reputations, as to
countenance, or make a controversy at least of that which their lusts
desire to be true. Above all therefore see that you come not to
inquire after truth with an unsanctified heart, and unmortified lusts,
which are a bias to your minds, and make you warp from the truth which
you inquire after; for if the carnal mind neither is nor can be
subject to the law of God, you may easily perceive that it will be
loth to believe it; when in so doing they believe their own
condemnation. An honest, sanctified heart is fittest to entertain the
truth.
_Direct._ II. Seek after the truth for the love of truth, and love it
especially for its special use, as it formeth the heart and life to
the image and will of God; and not for the fanciful delight of
knowing; much less for carnal, worldly ends.[119] No means are used at
all as means, where the end is not first determined of. And to do the
same thing materially to another end, is not indeed to do the same;
for thereby it is made another thing. Your physician will come to you
if you seek to him as a physician; but not if you send to him to mend
your shoes. So if you seek knowledge for the true ends of knowledge,
to fill your hearts with the love of God, and guide your lives in
holiness and righteousness, God is engaged to help you in the search.
But if you seek it only for to please your pride or fancy, no wonder
if you miss of it; and it is no great matter whether you find it or
not, for any good it is like to do you. Every truth of God is
appointed to be his instrument, to do some holy work upon your heart:
let the love of holiness be it that maketh you search after truth, and
then you may expect that God should be your teacher.
_Direct._ III. Seek after truth without too great or too small regard
to the judgment of others; neither contemn them, nor be captivated to
them. Use the help of the wise; but give not up your reason absolutely
to any. Engage not yourselves in a party, so as to espouse their
errors, or implicitly to believe whatever they say; for this breedeth
in you a secret desire to please your party, and interesteth you in
their dividing interest, and maketh you betray the truth to be
accounted orthodox by those you value.[120]
_Direct._ IV. Take heed of pride, which will make you dote upon your
own conceits, and cause you to slight the weightiest reasons that are
brought by others, for your conviction. And if once you have espoused
an error, it will engage all your wit, and zeal, and diligence to
maintain it; it will make you uncharitable and furious against all
that cross you in your way; and so make you either persecutors, (if
you stand on the higher ground,) or sect leaders, or church dividers,
and turbulent and censorious, if you are on the lower ground. There is
very great reason in Paul's advice for the choice of a bishop, 1 Tim.
iii. 6, "Not a novice; lest being lifted up with pride he fall into
the condemnation of the devil." It is no more wonder to see a proud
man erroneous, and in the confidence of his own understanding, to rage
against all that tell him he is mistaken, than to hear a drunken man
boasting of his wit, to the increase of his shame.
_Direct._ V. Take heed of slothfulness, and impatience in searching
after truth, and think not to find it in difficult cases, without both
hard and patient studies, and ripeness of understanding to enable you
therein; and suspect all opinions which are the offspring of idleness
and ease, whatever divine illumination they may pretend (except as you
take them from others upon trust (in a slothful way) who attained them
by diligent studies). For God that hath called men to labour, doth use
to give his blessing to the laborious. And he that hath said by his
Spirit, 1 Tim. iv. 15, "Meditate upon these things; give thyself
wholly to them, that thy profiting may appear to all," doth
accordingly cause those men to profit, who seek it in this laborious
way of his appointment; and he that hath said, "The desire of the
slothful killeth him," doth not use to bless the slothful with his
teachings. He that will say to him in judgment, "Thou wicked and
slothful servant," will not encourage the slothfulness which he
condemneth.[121] "My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my
commandments with thee; so that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom,
and apply thine heart to understanding; yea, if thou criest after
knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; if thou seekest
her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; then shalt
thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God:
for the Lord giveth wisdom," Prov. ii. 1-6. Mark here to whom God
giveth wisdom: all the godly are taught of God; but mark here how it
is that he teacheth them. Not while they scorn at studies and
universities, and look that their knowledge should cost them nothing,
or that the Spirit should be instead of serious studies, or that their
understandings should discern what is true or false at the first
appearance; but while they think no pains or patience too great to
learn the truth in the school of Christ.
_Direct._ VI. Keep out passion from your disputes, and in the
management of all your controversies in religion. For though passion
be useful both antecedently to the resolution of the will, and
consequently to the effectual execution of its resolutions, yet it is
commonly a very great seducer of the understanding, and strangely
blindeth and perverteth the judgment;[122] so that a passionate man is
seldom so far from the truth, as when he is most confident he is
defending it. When passion hath done boiling, and the heart is
cooled, and leaveth the judgment to do its work without any clamour or
disturbance, it is strange to see how things will appear to you to be
quite of another tendency and reason, than in your passion you
esteemed them.
_Direct._ VII. Keep up a sense of the evil and danger of both
extremes; and be not so wholly intent upon the avoiding of one
extreme, as to be fearless of the other. The narrow minds of
unexperienced men are hardly brought to look on both sides them, and
to be duly sensible of the danger of both extremes; but while they are
taken up only with the hating and opposing one sort of errors, they
forget those on the other side. And usually the sin or error which we
observe not, is more dangerous to us than that which we do observe (if
the wind of temptation set that way).
_Direct._ VIII. When you detect any ancient error or corruption,
inquire into its original; and see whether reformation consist not
rather in a restitution of the primitive state, than in an extirpation
of the whole. Even in popery itself there are many errors and ill
customs, which are but the corruption of some weighty truth, and the
degenerating of some duty of God's appointment; and to reduce all, in
such cases, to the primitive verity, is the way of wise and true
reformation; and not to throw away that which is God's, because it is
fallen into the dirt of human depravation. But in cases where all is
bad, there all must be rejected.
_Direct._ IX. Pretend not to truth and orthodoxness against christian
love and peace; and so follow truth, as that you lose not love and
peace by it; "as much as in you lieth, live peaceably with all men,"
Rom. xii. 18. Charity is the end of truth, 1 Cor. xiii. and it is a
mad use of means, to use them against the end. Make sure of the
sincerity of your charity, and hold it fast; and then no error that
you hold will be destructive to you: but if you know more than others,
and use your knowledge to the weakening of your love, you are but (as
our first parents) deceived and destroyed by a desire of fleshly,
uneffectual knowledge. Such "knowledge puffeth up, but charity
edifieth," 1 Cor. viii. 1. To contend for truth, to the loss of love
in yourselves, and the destruction of it among others, is but to choke
yourselves with excellent food, and to imitate that orthodox, catholic
physician, that gloried that he killed his patients _secundem artem_,
by the most accurate method and excellent rules of art that men could
die by.
_Direct._ X. Pretend no truth against the power and practice of
godliness.[123] For this also is its proper end; if it be not truth
that is according to godliness, it is no truth worthy our seeking or
contending for. And if it be contrary to godliness in itself, it is no
truth at all; therefore if it be used against godliness, it is used
contrary to the ends of truth. Those men that suppress or hinder the
means of knowledge, and holiness, and concord, and edification, under
pretence of securing, defending, or propagating the orthodox belief,
will find one day, that God will give them as little thanks for their
blind, preposterous zeal for truth, as a tender father would do to a
physician, that killed his children because they distasted or spit out
his medicines. It is usually a pitiful defence of truth that is made
by the enemies of godliness.
_More near and particular Directions against Error._
_Direct._ I. Begin at the greatest, most evident, certain, and
necessary truths, and so proceed orderly to the knowledge of the less,
by the help of these:[124] as you climb by the body of the tree unto
the branches. If you begin at those truths, which spring out of
greater common truths, and know not the premises, while you plead for
the conclusion, you abuse your reason, and lose the truth and your
labour both: for there is no way to the branches but by ascending from
the stock. The principles well laid, must be your help to all your
following knowledge.
_Direct._ II. The two first things which you are to learn are, what
man is, and what God is: the nature and relation of the two parties,
is the first thing to be known in order to the knowledge of the
covenant itself, and all following transactions between God and
man.[125] One error here will introduce abundance. A thousand other
points of natural philosophy you may safely be ignorant of; but if you
know not what man is, what reason is, what natural free-will is, and
what the inferior sensitive faculties are, as to their uses, it will
lay you open to innumerable errors. In the nature of man, you must see
the foundation of his relations unto God: and if you know not those
great relations, the duties of which must take up all our lives, you
may easily foresee the consequents of such ignorance or error. So if
you know not what God is, and what his relations to us are, so far as
is necessary to our living in the duties of those relations, the
consequents of your ignorance will be sad. If learned men be but
perverted in their apprehensions of some one attribute of God, (as
those that think his goodness is nothing but his benignity, or
proneness to do good, or that he is a necessary agent, doing good _ad
ultimum posse_, &c.) what abundance of horrid and impious consequents
will follow!
_Direct._ III. Having soundly understood both these and other
principles of religion, try all the subsequent truths hereby, and
receive nothing as truth that is certainly inconsistent with any of
these principles.[126] Even principles that are not of sense, may be
disputed till they are well received; and with those that have not
received them: but afterwards they are not to be called in question;
for then you would never proceed nor build higher, if you will stand
questioning all your grounds. Indeed no truth is inconsistent with any
other truth: but yet when two dark or doubtful points are compared
together, it is hard to know which of them to reject. But here it is
easy; nothing that contradicteth the true nature of God or man, or any
principle, must be held.
_Direct._ IV. Believe nothing which certainly contradicteth the end of
all religion. If it be of a natural or necessary tendency to
ungodliness, against the love of God, or against a holy and heavenly
mind and conversation, it cannot be truth, whatever it pretend.
_Direct._ V. Be sure to distinguish well betwixt revealed and
unrevealed things: and before you dispute any question, search first
whether the resolution be revealed or not: and if it be not, lay it
by; and take it as part of your necessary submission, to be ignorant
of what God would have you ignorant, as it is part of your obedience
to labour to know what God would have you know. And when some things
unrevealed are mixed in the controversy, take out those and lay them
by, before you go any further, and see that the resolution of the rest
be not laid upon them, nor twisted with them, to entangle the whole in
uncertainty or confusion.[127] Thus God instructed Job, by convincing
him of his ignorance, and showing him how many things were past his
knowledge.[128] Thus Christ instructed Nicodemus about the work of
regeneration, so as to let him know that though the necessity of it
must be known, yet the manner of the Spirit's accesses to the soul
cannot be known, John iii. 7, 8. And Paul in his discourse of election
takes notice of the unsearchable depths, and the creature's unfitness
to dispute with God, Rom. ix. When you find any disputes about
predetermination or predestination resolved into such points as these:
Whether God do by physical, premoving influx, or by concourse, or by
moral operation _ut finis_, determine or specify moral acts of man?
Whether a positive decree _quoad actum_ be necessary to the negation
of effects (as that such a one shall not have grace given him, or be
converted or saved; that all the millions of possible persons, names,
and things shall not be future)? What understanding, will, or power
are formally in God? How he knoweth future contingents? with a hundred
such like; then remember that you make use of this rule, and say with
Moses, Deut. xxix. 29, "The secret things belong to the Lord our God,
but those things that are revealed unto us and to our children for
ever, that we may do all the words of his law." There are many rare,
profound discoveries much gloried of by the masters of several sects,
of which you may know the sentence of the Holy Ghost, by that
instance, Col. ii. 18, "Let no man beguile you of your reward, in a
voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those
things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind."
Reverently withdraw from things that are unrevealed, and dispute them
not.
_Direct._ VI. Be a careful and accurate (though not a vain)
distinguisher; and suffer not ambiguity and confusion to deceive you.
Suspect every word in your question, and anatomize it, and agree upon
the sense of all your common terms, before you dispute with any
adversary. It is not only in many words, but in one word or syllable
that so much ambiguity and confusion may be contained, as may make a
long dispute to be but a vain and ridiculous wrangling.[129] Is it not
a ridiculous business to hear men dispute many hours about the _cur
credis_, and into what faith is to be resolved; and in the end come to
understand, that by cur one of them speaks of the _principium_ or
_causa veritatis_, and the other of the _principium patefactionis_, or
the _evidentia veritatis_, or some other cause? And when one speaks of
the resolution of his faith as into the formal object, and another
into the subservient testimony or means, or into the proofs of divine
attestation, or many other causes? Or to hear men dispute, Whether
Christ died for all; when by "for" one man meaneth "for the benefit of
all," and another means "in the place or stead of all, or for the sins
of all as the procuring cause, &c.?" Yet here is but a syllable to
contain this confusion! What a tedious thing is it to read long
disputes between many papists and protestants, about justification,
while by justification one meaneth one thing, and another meaneth
quite another thing! He that cannot force every word to make a plain
confession of its proper signification, that the thing intended may be
truly discerned in the word, he will but deceive himself and others,
with a wordy, insignificant dispute.
_Direct._ VII. Therefore be specially suspicious of metaphors; as
being all but ambiguities till an explication hath fixed or determined
the sense. It is a noisome thing to hear some dispute upon an
unexplained metaphorical word, when neither of them have enucleated
the sense, and when there are proper words enow.
_Direct._ VIII. Take special notice of what kind of beings your
inquiry or disputation is, and let your terms be adapted and
interpreted according to the kind of beings you dispute of. As if you
be inquiring into the nature of any grace, as faith, repentance,
obedience, &c. remember that it is _in genere moris_, a moral act; and
therefore the terms are not to be understood as if you disputed about
mere physical acts, which are considered but _in genere entis_. For
that object which must essentiate one moral act, containeth many
physical particles, which will make up many physical acts.[130] If you
take such a man for your king, your commander, your master, your
physician, &c. if you should at the bar, when you are questioned for
unfaithfulness, dispute upon the word take, whether it be an act of
the fantasy, or sense, or intellect, or will, &c. would you not be
justly laughed at? So when you ask, What act faith or repentance is?
which contain many particular physical acts. When you dispute of
divinity, policy, law, war, &c. you must not use the same terms in the
same sense, as when you dispute of physics, or metaphysics.
_Direct._ IX. Be sure in all your disputes that you still keep
distinguished before your eyes, the order of being, and the order of
knowing: that the questions _de esse_ lying undetermined in your way,
do not frustrate all your dispute about the question _de cognoscere_.
As in the question, Whether a man should do such or such a thing, when
he thinketh that it is God's command? How far conscience must be
obeyed? It must first be determined _de esse_, whether indeed the
thing be commanded or lawful, or not? before the case can be
determined about the obligation that followeth my apprehension. For,
whatever my conscience or opinion say of it, the thing either is
lawful or it is not: if it be lawful, or a duty, the case is soon
decided; but if it be not lawful, the error of my conscience altereth
not God's law, nor will it make it lawful unto me. I am bound first to
know and then to do what God revealeth and commandedeth; and this I
shall be bound to, whatever I imagine to the contrary; and to lay by
the error which is against it.
_Direct._ X. Be sure when you first enter upon an inquiry or dispute,
that you well discover how much of the controversy is verbal _de
nomine_, and how much is material _de re_;[131] and that you suffer
not your adversary to go on upon a false supposition, that the
controversy is _de re_, when it is but _de nomine_. The difference
between names and things is so wide, that you would think no
reasonable man should confound them: and yet so heedless in this point
are ordinary disputers, that it is a usual thing to make a great deal
of stir about a controversy before they discern whether it be _de
nomine_ or _de re_. Many a hot and long dispute I have heard, which
was managed as about the very heart of some material cause, (as about
man's power to do good, or about the sufficiency of grace, or about
justification, &c.) when the whole contest between the disputers was
only or principally _de nomine_, and neither of them seemed to take
notice of it. Be sure as soon as you peruse the terms of your
question, to sift this thoroughly, and dispute verbal controversies
but as verbal, and not as real and material. We have real differences
enow: we need not make them seem more by such a blind or heedless
manner of disputing.[132]
_Direct._ XI. Suffer not a rambling mind in study, nor a rambling
talker in disputes, to interrupt your orderly procedure, and divert
you from your argument before you bring it to the natural issue. But
deceiving sophisters, and giddy-headed praters, will be violent to
start another game, and spoil the chase of the point before you: but
hold them to it, or take them to be unworthy to be disputed with, and
let them go (except it be where the weakness of the auditors requireth
you to follow them in their wild-goose chace). You do but lose time in
such rambling studies or disputes.
_Direct._ XII. Be cautelous of admitting false suppositions; or at
least of admitting any inference that dependeth upon them. In some
cases a supposition of that which is false may be made, while it no
way tends to infer the truth of it; but nothing must be built upon
that falsehood, as intimating it to be a truth. False suppositions
cunningly and secretly worked into arguments, are very ordinary
instruments of deceit.
_Direct._ XIII. Plead not uncertainties against certainties: but make
certain points the measure to try the uncertain by. Reduce not things
proved and sure to those that are doubtful and justly controverted;
but reduce points disputable to those that are past doubt.
_Direct._ XIV. Plead not the darker texts of Scripture against those
that are more plain and clear, nor a few texts against many that are
as plain; for that which is interpreted against the most plain and
frequent expressions of the same Scripture is certainly
misinterpreted.
_Direct._ XV. Take not obscure prophecies for precepts. The obscurity
is enough to make you cautelous how you venture yourself in the
practice of that which you understand not: but if there were no
obscurity, yet prophecies are no warrant to you to fulfil them; no,
though they be for the church's good. Predictions tell you but _de
eventu_ what will come to pass, but warrant not you to bring it to
pass. God's prophecies are ofttimes fulfilled by the wickedest men and
the wickedest means: as by the Jews in killing Christ, and Pharaoh in
refusing to let Israel go, and Jehu in punishing the house of Ahab.
Yet many self-conceited persons think that they can fetch that out of
the revelations or the prophecies of Daniel, that will justify very
horrid crimes, while they use wicked means to fulfil God's prophecies.
_Direct._ XVI. Be very cautelous in what cases you take men's practice
or example to be instead of precept, in the sacred Scriptures. In one
case a practice or example is obligatory to us as a precept; and that
is, when God doth give men a commission to establish the form or
orders of his church and worship, (as he did to Moses and to the
apostles,) and promiseth them his Spirit to lead them into all truth,
in the matters which he employeth them in: here God is engaged to keep
them from miscarrying; for if they should, his work would be ill done,
his church would be ill constituted and framed, and his servants
unavoidably deceived. The apostles were authorized to constitute
church officers and orders for continuance; and the Scripture, which
is written for a great part historically, acquaints us what they did
(as well as what they said and wrote) in the building of the church,
in obedience to their commission (at least in declaring to the world
what Christ had first appointed). And thus if their practice were not
obligatory to us, their words also might be avoided by the same
pretences. And on this ground (at least) the Lord's day is easily
proved to be of divine appointment and obligation. Only we must see
that we carefully distinguish between both the words and practice of
the apostles which were upon a particular and temporary occasion (and
obligation) from those that were upon a universal or permanent ground.
_Direct._ XVII. Be very cautelous what conclusions you raise from any
mere works of Providence. For the bold and blind exposition of these,
hath led abundance into most heinous sins: no providence is instead of
a law to us; but sometimes and ofttimes Providence changeth the matter
of our duty, and so occasioneth the change of our obligations (as when
the husband dieth, the wife is disobliged, &c.) But men of worldly
dispositions do so over-value worldly things, that from them they
venture to take the measure of God's love and hatred, and of the
causes which he approveth or disapproveth in the world. And the wisdom
of God doth seem on purpose, to cause such wonderful, unexpected
mutations in the affairs of men, as shall shame the principles or
spirits of these men, and manifest their giddiness and mutability to
their confusion. One year they say, This is sure the cause of God, or
else he would never own it as he doth; another year they say, If this
had been God's cause he would never have so disowned it: just as the
barbarians judged of Paul when the viper seized on his hand. And thus
God is judged by them to own or disown by his prospering or
afflicting, more than by his word.
_Direct._ XVIII. In controversies which much depend on the sincerity
or experience of godly men, take heed that you affect not singularity,
and depart not from the common sense of the godly. For the workings of
God's Spirit are better judged of by the ordinary tenor of them, than
by some (real or supposed) case that is extraordinary.
_Direct._ XIX. In controversies which most depend on the testimony of
antiquity, depart not from the judgment of the ancients. They that
stood within view of the days of the apostles could better tell what
they did, and what a condition they left the churches in, than we can
do. To appeal to the ancients in every cause, even in those where the
later christians do excel them, is but to be fools in reverence of our
forefathers' wisdom. But in points of history, or any thing in which
they had the advantage of their posterity, their testimony is to be
preferred.
_Direct._ XX. In controversies which depend on the experience of
particular christians or of the church, regard most the judgment of
the most experienced, and prefer the judgment of the later ages of the
church before the judgment of less experienced ages (except the
apostolical age, that had the greater help of the Spirit). An
ancient, experienced christian or divine is more to be regarded in
many points, which require experience, than many of the younger sort,
that are yet more zealous and of quicker understanding and expression
than the elder. So those that we call the fathers or ancients were
indeed in the younger ages of the church, and we that are fallen into
the later and more experienced age, have all the helps of the wisdom
and experience of the ages that were before us: and therefore God will
require at our hands an account of these greater talents which we have
received! As it were unexcusable now in a physician that hath the help
of such voluminous institutions, observations, and experiments of
former ages, to know no more than those former times that had no such
helps; so would it be as unexcusable for this present age of the
church to be no wiser than those former ages. When Aquinas, Scotus,
Ariminensis, and other schoolmen, delivered the doctrine of
christianity to the church in a dress so far different from Ignatius,
Irenæus, Tertullian, Cyprian, or any of those former ages, they
certainly thought that they had attained to a far greater excellency
and accurateness in the knowledge of divinity than those their
ancestors had attained: and whatever they swear in the Trent oath, of
not expounding any Scripture otherwise than the fathers do, I doubt
not but Suarez, and Vasquez, and others of their modern schoolmen,
thought so too, and would have been loth to be accounted wise in the
measure only of those ancients.[133] The later and elder ages of the
church have had abundant experience, e. g. of the tendency of ambition
and papal aspirings and usurpations; of the mischiefs of composing and
imposing the popish missals and numerous ceremonies, and of their
implicit faith, and their concealment of the Scriptures from the
vulgar, and many such points; and if we are never the wiser for all
this experience, we are the more unexcusable; and may be judged as the
neglecters of our greater helps.
_Direct._ XXI. In controversies which depend most upon skill in the
languages, philosophy, or other parts of common learning, prefer the
judgment of a few that are the most learned in those matters, before
the judgment of the most ancient, or the most godly, or of the
greatest numbers, even whole churches, that are unlearned. In this
case neither numbers, nor antiquity, nor godliness will serve turn:
but as one clear eye will see further than ten thousand that are
purblind, so one Jerom or Origen may judge better of a translation, or
the grammatical sense of a text, than a hundred of the other fathers
could. One man that understandeth a language is fitter to judge of it,
than a whole nation that understand it not. One philosopher is fitter
to judge of a philosophical question, than a thousand illiterate
persons. Every man is most to be regarded in the matters which he is
best acquainted with.
_Direct._ XXII. In controversies of great difficulty, where divines
themselves are disagreed, and a clear and piercing wit is necessary,
regard more the judgment of a few acute, judicious, well-studied
divines, that are well versed in those controversies, than of a
multitude of dull and common wits that think to carry it by the
reputation of their number.[133] It is too certainly attested by
experience, that judicious men are very few, and that the multitude of
the injudicious that have not wit enough to understand them, nor
humility enough to confess it, and to learn of them, have yet pride
and arrogancy enough to contradict them, and often malice enough to
vilify them. In such differences it is not only a sign of a wise man
to be content with the approbation of a few, but also to have but few
approvers (except where the injudicious do implicitly believe those
few that are judicious). Commonly a very few that are wiser than the
multitude, are fain to stand by, and compassionate not only the world
but the church, and see the disease, and the easy remedy, and all in
vain; while they are but neglected or despised by the rest, that will
not be made wiser by them.
_Direct._ XXIII. In all contentions hold close to that which all sides
are agreed in; there is so much agreed on, even between the papists
and the protestants, as would certainly save them all, if all of them
did sincerely believe, love, and practise it; for they all confess
that the whole canonical Scripture is true. Therefore be more studious
sincerely to hold and improve those common truths which they all
profess, than to oppose the particular opinions of any, further than
that common truth requireth it. See that the articles of the common
creed which all profess, be unfeignedly believed by you; and that the
petitions in the Lord's prayer be sincerely and earnestly put up to
God; and that the ten commandments be heartily and entirely obeyed;
and then no error or difference will be damning to you.
_Direct._ XXIV. Take nothing as necessary to salvation in point of
faith, nor as universally necessary in point of practice, which the
universal church in every age since Christ did not receive. For if any
thing be necessary to salvation which the church received not in every
age, then the church itself of that age could not be saved; and then
the church was indeed no church; for Christ is the Saviour of his
body. But certainly Christ had in every age a church of saved ones,
who openly professed all that was of common necessity to salvation. An
opinion may be true which accuseth the generality in the church of
some error or imperfection; for it is most certain that the church on
earth is composed of none (that have the use of reason) but erring and
imperfect members; but no opinion can be true that condemneth all the
church to hell, in any one age; for the Head and Husband of the church
must be her Judge.
_Direct._ XXV. Be not borne down by the censoriousness of any, to
overrun your own understanding and the truth, and to comply with them
in their errors and extremes;[134] but hold to the truth and keep your
station: Jer. xv. 19, "Let them return unto thee, but return thou not
unto them." It is too usual for the younger and more injudicious sort
of christians to be most zealous about some little opinions,
ceremonies, and words, and to censure all those that differ from them,
with such bitter censures, (as ungodly, false-hearted, &c.) that
hereupon some of the more judicious forsake the truth and simplicity
of the gospel, to comply with these censurers merely to escape them
(or, as some say, that they may keep an interest in them to do them
good): but such carnal compliances, though with the most zealous men,
will bring nothing home at last but repentance and shame: truth, which
is the means of the good of souls, must not be betrayed as for the
good of souls.
_Direct._ XXVI. Doubt not of well-proved truths, for every difficulty
that appeareth against them. There is scarce any truth in the world so
plain, but in your own thoughts, or in the cavils of a wrangling wit,
there may such difficulties be raised as you can hardly answer: and
there is scarce any thing so evident, that some will not dispute
against. You see that even the learnedest Jesuits, and all the clergy
of the Roman kingdom, will not stick to dispute all the world (if they
could) out of the belief of all their senses, while they maintain that
bread is not bread, and wine is not wine. And yet, how many princes,
lords, and rulers follow them, and many millions of the people;
because they are not able to confute them. If they had said that a man
is no man, but a worm, Psal. xxii. 6, they might in reason have
expected as much belief.
_Direct._ XXVII. Abuse not your own knowledge by subjecting it to your
carnal interest or sensuality. He that will sin against his
conscience, and will not obey the knowledge which he hath, doth
deserve to be given over to blindness and deceit, and to lose even
that which he hath, and to be forsaken till he believe and defend a
lie:[135] "that all they might be damned who obeyed not the truth, but
had pleasure in unrighteousness," 2 Thess. ii. 10-12. God will not
hold him guiltless who debaseth his sacred truth so far, as to make it
stoop to his commodity and lust; where he is a teacher he will be a
king, and sendeth his truth as the instrument of his government, and
not as a slave or pander to the flesh. He that will "do God's will
shall know it," John vii. 17; but the carnal mind that cannot be
subject to God's law, is unfit to receive it, because it is
spiritually discerned, Rom. viii. 7; 1 Cor. ii. 14.
[117] Nitebatur Socrates summi ingenii acumine, non tam illos ex
sententia refellere, quam ipse quid verum esset invenire. Laert. in
Socrat.
[118] Heb. xii. 14. 2 Cor. v. 17; Rom. viii. 9, 13.
[119] Socrates de ethice, et in officinis, et in publico quotidie
philosophans, ea potius inquirenda hortabatur, quæ mores instruerent,
et quorum usus nobis domi esset necessarius. Laert. in Socrat.
[120] Non tam auctoritatis in disputando, quam rationis momenta
quærenda sunt, Cic. Nat. Deo. p. 6. Obest plerumque iis, qui discere
volunt, auctoritas eorum, qui se docere profitentur. Desinunt enim
suum judicium adhibere: id habent ratum, quod ab eo, quem probant,
judicatum vident. Ibid. p. 7.
[121] Prov. xxiv. 30; xxi. 25; Matt. xxv. 26.
[122] Quæ duæ virtutes in disputatore primæ sunt, eas ambas in Hubero
deprehendi, patientiam adversarium prolixe sua explicantem audiendi,
et lenitatem etiam aspere dicta perferendi, inq. Scultetus post. disp.
Curric. p. 33.
[123] 1 Tim. vi. 3; Tit. i. 1; 1 Tim. iv. 7, 8; vi. 5, 6, 11; 2 Pet.
i. 3; iii. 11.
[124] See chap. ii. direct. 3.
[125] Ut Deum noris, etsi ignores et locum et faciem, sic animum tibi
tuum notum esse oportet, etiam si ignores et locum et formam. Cicero
1. Tuscul.
[126] Nulla erga Deos pietas est, nisi honesta de numine deorum ac
mente opinio sit. Cicero pro Planc.
[127] Non ii sumus quibus nihil verum esse videatur; sed ii qui
omnibus veris falsæ quædam adjuncta esse dicamus, tanta similitudine
ut, &c. Cic. de Nat. Deor. p. 7.
[128] Job xxxviii-xli.
[129] See my preface before the second part of the Saints' Rest, edit.
3, &c. A man of judgment shall hear ignorant men differ, and know that
they mean one thing. And yet they themselves will never agree. L.
Bacon, Ess. 3.
[130] As I have showed in my Dispute of Saving Faith with Dr. Barlow,
and of Justification.
[131] Non ex verbis res, sed ex rebus verba esse inquirenda, ait
Myson. in Laert. p. 70. Bas. 1 Edit.
[132] It is a noble work that Mr. Le Blanck of Sedan is about to this
purpose, stating more exactly than hath yet been done all the
controversies between us and the papists: which how excellently he is
like to perform I easily conjecture by the Disputes of his upon
Justification, &c. which I have seen.
[133] Satis triumphat veritas si apud paucos bonosque accepta: nec
indoles ejus est placere multis. Lipsius.
[134] Thus Peter and Barnabas erred, Gal. ii.
[135] Matt. xxv. 29; Rom. xiv. 22.