Observations, censures, and confutations of notorious errours in Mr. Hobbes his Leviathan and other his bookes to which are annexed occasionall anim-adversions on some writings of the Socinians and such hæreticks of the same opinion with him / by William Lucy ...

Sect. 4.

His second Argument is, that to prove the Trinity by reason were derogatory from faith, which is of things in∣visible, as it is Heb. 11. now, saith he, if these things were proveable by reason, they were not unseene, that is of natu∣rall understandings.

To this I answer, that from the same inconvenience, the infinite creating power and act of creating were not proveable by reason, which is an article of our faith, and although we could not prove it, yet we must believe it, which both he and his followers agree to grant.

Secondly, I answer, that although these things of faith are unseen by mere naturall men, without all faith, yet when a man hath faith, then that light of faith, may shew him this or that thing of them, and his Reason may afterwards likewise discern it; for you may conceive a

weight too heavy for a weak man to lift, yet when a stronger assist's him, he can doe it with him which be∣fore he could not without him; or as you may see a weake-sighted man, by the help of his Spectacles, reade's those words, which else he could not have read without them, yet having clearly read them with Spe∣ctacles can after, by his weaker sight, reade them with∣out, because the sense is in his head; so a man who, by his own weake sight of his own reason, cannot lift such a burthen as the Trinity, yet having the assistance of a stronger, his faith, he can then lift up his Arme of Rea∣son, to beare it likewise; so he that was forced to use spectacles assistants to his Reason, whereby he might ap∣prehend this Mystery, yet having the sense of it in his head, by that, can afterwards read it by reason; so, though these holy Mysteries are invisi••le to mere naturall men, yet, when made apparent by faith, they may afterwards be discerned likewise by Reason.

Another argument is, that it is unprofitable to faith, for (saith he) when men use reasons that are not convin∣cing, they fall into the scorne of incredulous men, who think that our faith is built upon such reasons only; I answer, this cannot be with such as I, who professe that my faith depend's upon the Scripture, which is infallible, yet have lifted up my Reason to work upon, and serve that Faith.

Notes

• Aquinas's se∣cond Argum.
• The Bishop's first answer concerning the invisible objects of Faith.
• The Bishop's second answer concerning the after-sight of Reason.
• His third ar∣gument from scorn and sc••n∣dal.
• Answer'd by the adherence to infallibili∣ty of Scripture.