Animadversions on a treatise intituled Fiat lux, or, A guide in differences of religion, between papist and Protestant, Presbyterian and independent by a Protestant.

CHAP. VIII. (Book 8)

Use of Reason. Sect. 11.

THis Section is set apart for the ca∣shiering of Reason from having any hand in the business we deal about; and the truth is, if our Author can perswade us first to throw away our Bibles, and then to lay aside the use of our Reason, I suppose, there is no doubt but we shall become Roman-Catholicks. This work, it seems, cannot be effected, unless men are contented to part with Scripture and Reason; all that whereby they are Chri∣stians and Men. But unless our Author have emptyed Circe's Box of Oyntment, whereby she transformed Men into Swine, he will confess it somewhat a dif∣ficult task that he hath undertaken. Me∣thinks one of these demands might suf∣fice at once. But he presumes he hath

put his Countrey-men into a good hu∣mor, and knowing them free and open-hearted, he plyes them whilest they are warm.

We have, indeed, in this Section, as fair a flourish of words as in any other; but, there can be but little reason in the words that men make use of, to plead a∣gainst Reason it self. And yet I am per∣swaded▪ most Readers think as well of this 〈◊〉〈◊〉 as any in the Book. To whom the un••easonableness of this is evident, that of the others is so also; and those who willingly imbibe the other parts of his Discourse, will little strain at this. Nothing is to be trusted unto Preju∣dice. Nor, if we will learn, are we to think strange of any thing. Let us weigh then impartially, what is of Rea∣son in this Discourse against the use of Reason. What ever he pretends, he knows full well, that he hath no differ∣ence with any sort of Protestants about finding out a Religion by Reason, and adhere∣ing only to its dictates in the Worship of God. All the World of Protestants profess, that they receive their Religi∣on wholly by Revelation from God, and

no otherwise; Nor is it about ascribing a Soveraignty to Reason to judge of the particulars of Religion so Revealed, to accept or refuse them, according as that shall judge them suitable, or not, to its principles and liking. This is the Sove∣raign dictate of Reason, That whatever God reveals to be believed, is true, and as such must be embraced, though the bottom of it cannot be sounded by Rea∣son's line; and that because 〈◊〉〈◊〉 reason of a man is not absolutely reason▪ but be∣ing the reason of a man, is variously li∣mitted, bounded, and made defective in its ratiocinations. An objective Truth our Reason supposes▪ all that it hath to do, is but to judge of what is proposed to it according to the best Principles that it hath; which is all that God in that kind requires of us; unless in that work wherein he intends to make us more then men, that is, Christians, he would have us make our selves less then Men, even as Brutes. That in our whole obedience to God, we are to use our Reason, Pro∣testants say indeed; and moreover, that what is not done reasonably, is not Obe∣dience. The Scripture is the Rule of

all our Obedience, Grace the Princi∣ple enabling us to perform it; but the manner of its performance must be Rati∣onal, or it is not the supposition of Rule or Principle that will render any act of a man, Obedience. Religion, say Pro∣testants, is revealed in the Scripture, proposed to the minds and wills of men for its entertainment by the Ministry of the Church; Grace to Believe, and Obey, is supernaturally from God; but, as to the Proposals of Religion from Scripture, they averre, that men ought to admit and receive them as men, that is, judge of the sense and meaning of them, discover their truth, and finding them revealed, acquiesce in the Autho∣rity of him by whom they are first re∣vealed. So far as men, in any things of their concernments that have a moral good or evil in them, do refuse, in the choice or refusal of them, to exercise that judging and discerning, which is the proper work of Reason, they un-Man themselves, and invert the order of Nature; dethroning the 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 of the Soul, and causing it to follow the faculties that have no light but what

they receive by and from it. It's true, all our carnal reasonings against Scri∣pture-Mysteries, are to be captivated to the Obedience of Faith; and, this is highly reasonable, making only the less, particular, defective collections of rea∣son, give place to the more noble, ge∣neral and universal principles of it. Nor is the denying of our reason any where required, as to the sense and meaning of the words of the Scripture, but as to the things and matter signified by them. The former, Reason must judge of, if we are men; the latter, if, in conjuncti∣on with unbelief and carnal lusts, it tu∣multuate against it, is to be subdued to the Obedience of Faith. All that Pro∣testants in the business of Religion a∣scribe unto men, is but this, that in the business of Religion they are, and ought to be men; that is, judge of the sense and truth of what is spoken to them ac∣cording to that Rule which they have received for the measure and guide of their Understandings in these things. If this may not be allowed, you may make a Herd of them, but a Church never.

Let us now consider what is offered in this Section about Reason, wherein the concernment of any Protestants may lye. As the matter is stated, about any one's setting up himself to be a new and ex∣traordinary Director unto men in Religion, upon the account of the irrefutable Reason he brings along with him, which is the spring and sourse of that Religion which he ten∣ders unto them; I very much question, Whether any instance can be given of any such thing from the foundation of the World. Men have so set up indeed sometimes, as that Good Catholick Va∣nine did not long since in France, to draw men from all Religions; but, to give a new Religion unto men, that this pre∣tension was ever solely made use of, I much question. As true Religion came by Inspiration from God, so all Authors of that which is false, have pretended to Revelation. Such were the preten∣sions of Minos, Lycurgus, and Nunia of old, of Mahomet of late, and general∣ly, of the first Founders of Religious Or∣ders in the Roman-Church; all in imi∣tation of real Divine Revelation, and in answer to indelible impressions on the

minds of all men, that Religion must come from God. To what purpose then, the first part of his Discourse a∣bout the coyning of Religion from Reason, or the framing of Religion by Reason, is, I know not; unless it be to cast a Blind before his unwary Reader, whilest he steals away from him his Treasure, that is, his Reason, as to its use in its proper place. Though therefore there be many things spoken, unduly, and, because it must be said, untruly also, in this first part of his Discourse, until toward the end of Pag. 131. which deserve to be animadver∣ted on; yet, because they are such as no sort of Protestants hath any concernment in, I shall pass them over. That where∣in he seems to reflect any thing upon our Principles, is in a supposed reply to what he had before delivered; where∣unto indeed it hath no respect or re∣lation, being the assertion of a Principle utterly distant from that imaginary one, which he had timely set up, and stoutly cast down before. It is this; That we must take the words from Christ and his Gospel; but the proper sense, which the words of themselves cannot carry with them,

our own reason must make out. If it be the Doctrine of Protestants, which he intend∣eth in these words, it's most disadvan∣tagiously and uncandidly represented, which becomes not an ingenious and learned person. This is that which Pro∣testants affirm: Religion is Revealed in the Scripture; that Revelation is deli∣vered▪ and contained in Propositions of Truth. Of the sense of those words, that carry their sense with them, Rea∣son judgeth, and must do so; or we are Brutes; and that every ones Reason, so farr as his concernment lies in what is proposed to him.

Neither doth this at all exclude the Ministry or Authority of the Church, both which are entrusted with it by Christ, to propose the Rules contained in his Word unto Rational Creatures, that they may understand, believe, love, and obey them. To cast out this use of Reason, with pretence of an antient sense of the words, which yet we know they have not about them, is as vain as any thing in this Section, and that is vain enough. If any such antient sense can be made out, or produced, that is a mean∣ing

of any Text that was known to be so, from their Explication who gave that Text, it is by reason to acquiesced in. Neither is this to be make a man a Bi∣shop, much less a chief Bishop, to him∣self. I never heard that it was the of∣fice of a Bishop, to know, believe, or understand for any man, but for him∣self. It is his Office, indeed, to instruct and teach men; but they are to learn and understand for themselves, and so to use their Reason in their Learning. Nor doth the variableness of mens thoughts and reasonings inferr any variableness in Re∣ligion to follow; whose stability and sameness depends on its first Revelation, not, our manner of Reception. Nor doth any thing asserted by Protestants, about the use of Reason in the business of Religion, interfere with the rule of the Apostle about captivating our Un∣derstandings to the Obedience of Faith, much less to his assertion, That Christi∣ans walk by Faith, and not by Sight; seeing that without it we can do neither the one nor the other. For I can nei∣ther submit to the truth of things to be believed, nor live upon them, or accor∣ding

unto them, unless I understand the Propositions wherein they are ex∣pressed; which is the work we assign to Reason. For those who would re∣solve their Faith into Reason, we con∣fess, that they overthrow not only Faith, but Reason it self; there being no∣thing more irrational, than that belief should be the product of Reason, being properly an assent resolved into Au∣thority, which if Divine, is so also. I shall then desire no more of our Au∣thor, nor his Readers, as to this Secti∣on, but only this, that they would be∣lieve, that no Protestant is at all con∣cerned in it: and so I shall not further interpose, as to any contentment they may find in its review or perusal.