The Scriptures genuine interpreter asserted, or, A discourse concerning the right interpretation of Scripture wherein a late exercitation, intituled, Philosophia S. scripturæ interpres, is examin'd, and the Protestant doctrine in that point vindicated : with some reflections on another discourse of L.W. written in answer to the said exercitation : to which is added, An appendix concerning internal illumination, and other operations of the Holy Spirit upon the soul of man, justifying the doctrine of Protestants, and the practice of serious Christians, against the charge of ethusiasm, and other unjust criminations / by John Wilson ...

CHAP. XII.

A fourth Argument, from the nature of a clear distinct Perception, answered.

BUt (says the Exercitator) there is * 1.1 no clear and distinct perception * 1.2 of a thing, but it begets an intimate persuasion in the Conscience of the Truth of what is so perceived; which Perception and Persuasion coming from God as the Cause, it may not unfitly be call'd the Persuasion, Di∣ctate, Testimony, Inspiration of the Holy Spirit of God: which Divines commonly, but mistakingly ascribe to that which they call Supernatural Light, out of their low esteem of Reason, and that Natural Light that is in every Man.

This, I confess, the Author doth not * 1.3 make use of among the Arguments that he produceth to defend his Cause: yet because it tends to beget a conceit (ac∣cording to the drift of his Discourse)

that what Men apprehend themselves to have a clear knowledge of by Rea∣son or Philosophy, is infallibly cer∣tain, and thereby qualified for the sure Interpreting of Scripture, I thought fit not to pass it over without some Ani∣madversion.

This Assertion is a piece of wild somewhat (for whether I should call it Philosophy, or Divinity, Sense, of Non∣sense, I know not) that if entertain'd, gives ground to Men of corrupt Minds to father their most enormous Conceits upon God and his Holy Spirit. Against it I shall propound a few Considerati∣ons.

1. Do not all Ages of the Church bear witness that erring Persons may be as confidently persuaded of their mistaken opinions as others are of the Truth, strongly conceiving what they hold to be most clear and evident, so far as chearfully to lay down their lives in the defence of it? So capable are Men of being deluded by their own darkned and corrupted Reason, when they give themselves up to it as their

sole guide, that some have denied to the death those Truths, that are in some degree knowable by Natural Light, as that grand Maxim, which is the Foun∣dation of all Religion, That there is a God; witness Caesar Vaninus. But for Doctrines of meer Revelation, how peremptorily they are denied, and up∣on what ground we need no farther instance than that of the Socinians, or (as they are otherwise called from a more Ancient Ring-leader) Photinians; who * 1.4 of all Hereticks have most perverted the Articles of our Creed, and found out Followers in these latter ages, who have erected a new Body of Divinity in oppo∣sition to the Catholick Theology, says the Reverend Bishop of Chester. Yet this new Socinian Body of Heterodoxies, (called by the Clergy of England in their Convocation, Anno 1640. a Com∣plication of Heresies,) is by its Fautors maintained with highest confidence, and that under the plausible pretence of clear Perception by the Principles of Reason. Upon this account One of that way denies Gods fore-know∣ledge

of future contingencies; and up∣on * 1.5 the same ground another of them denies the Doctrine of the Trinity, and the two Natures of Christ; because their Reason tells them as clearly and evidently as the Sun shines at Noon, that these things are false.

2. This countenances the absurd opi∣nion of some ancient Philosophers, That * 1.6 man is the measure of all things: for accor∣ding to this, every thing must be ac∣counted true, that a Man is strongly per∣suaded to be so: whereas the truth of our Perceptions lies in their consonancy to the nature of things, which must be first supposed before we can apprehend them. And therefore that great Maxim that bears such sway with some, that whatsoever I have a clear and distinct Perception of, is infalliby true, is so far from being a sure Test of Truth and Falshood, that in this dark and degenerate State of Mankind, it infallibly betrays those who trust to it, to innumerable and pernicious mi∣stakes. For suppose the Principle it self should be true, That every thing

is as we perceive, provided our Perception of it be distinct and clear: which way shall we be resolved whether this Per∣ception we have of things be clear and distinct, or dark and confused? seeing experience puts us out of all doubt, that persons as far distant in their ap∣prehensions of the same thing as East and West, do yet both of them with much confidence plead the greatest clearness and distinctness imaginable. What shall we think (to pass by other instances) * 1.7 of the contest between Micajah and the four hundred false Prophets about A∣hab's Expedition? The false Prophets expressed as high a confidence of their being in the Right, when abused by a lying Spirit, as Micajah, who was true∣ly guided and acted by the Holy Spirit of God. But the Explication that a * 1.8 late Author gives of this so much ap∣plauded Rule, viz▪ (That then doth Rea∣son clearly and distinctly perceive a thing, when it perceives it as it is in it self) renders it plainly ridiculous, supposing the thing in question. For when I am inquiring how I shall be assured that

my apprehension of a thing is certain∣ly true; the meaning is, how shall I be sure that I understand the thing to be as it really is (for the verity of my Conception consists in its agreement with the object.) Therefore to make a clear and distinct Perception, the 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 of a true and right apprehension, and to explain this clear and distinct Per∣ception by saying it is a Perception of a thing as it is, is to make the same thing the Index of it self, and leaves me as much to seek as at first; for still it will be asked, how shall I know that I perceive a thing as it is, or that my apprehension agrees with the nature of the thing?

3. I might further add, That we are obliged to believe many things, where∣of we cannot have a clear and distinct perception, as the Trinity of Persons in the Godhead, the Incarnation of our Saviour, the Hypostatical Union of the Divine and Humane Nature, and such like. Touching which I grant, we must have a clear perception that they are revealed ere we can believe them;

but a clear perception of the reveal'd ob∣jects themselves we cannot have, they being to us incomprehensible Mysteries: upon which ground both these and sun∣dry other Scripture-Doctrines are by some rejected as unintelligible and irra∣tional. But here Des Cartes acquits him∣self: For he somewhere gives his Readers this Caution, That we should remember * 1.9 God the Maker of all things to be infinite, and our selves finite; and therefore if he reveal any thing to us of himself, or other things, that is above the strength of our Na∣tural Wit (such as the Mysteries of the Incarnation and the Trinity) we must not deny them credit, though we cannot clear∣ly understand them. Nor should we at all wonder that there are many things both in his immense nature, and in the Crea∣tures made by him that exceed our capa∣city.

4. This fond conceit of the Exerci∣tator * 1.10 borders upon that of the Enthu∣siasts; whose high-flown pretences of the guidance of the Spirit, and the in∣ternal, living, essential, substantial word within them, comes to no more, when

searcht to the quick, but their own dark∣ned and besotted Reason, whose absurd Fancies and Blasphemous Dictates they daringly imputed to the Spirit of God. This Clause in our Author brings him under a suspition of complying with those old Libertines, and present Qua∣kers (whom he professeth to dislike) onely with this difference: They put their crude Conceptions into a more phantastick dress of great swelling words to amuse the ignorant Vulgar; and this Gentleman hath put his opini∣on into a more Manly Garb, to render it the more plausible to the Literate World.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Arg. 4.
• * 1.2

  Ph. Scr. Int. cap. 5. par. 5, 6.
• * 1.3

  Sol.
• * 1.4

  Dr. Pear∣son in his Epistle to the Rea∣der pre∣fixed to his Expo∣sition of the Creed
• * 1.5

  Crellius lib. de Deo & attribu∣tis c. 24. Ostorodius Instit. cap. 6.
• * 1.6

  2.
• * 1.7

  1 King. 22
• * 1.8

  Lud. Wel∣zog. Cens. Cens. 〈◊〉〈◊〉. 68.
• * 1.9

  Princ. Phi∣los. par 1▪ art. 24.
• * 1.10

  4.