The principles of Protestant truth and peace in four treatises : viz. the true state of liberty of conscience, in freedom from penal laws and church-censures, the obligations to national true religion, the nature of scandal, paricularly as it relates to indifferent things, a Catholick catechism, shewing the true grounds upon which the Catholick religion is ascertained / by Tho. Beverley ...

CAP. I. Of the Perfect and First State of Humane Nature, with relation to Catholick, or Publick Religion.

Quest. WHAT is the most distinguishing Excellency and Perfection of Hu∣mane Nature?

Answ. Catholick, or truly Pub∣lick Religion; for it is the All, the Whole, or Universal Man: Whoever therefore hath vanquished the sense of that, hath put off Man, and de∣graded himself into worse than a Brute.

Quest. What do you mean by Religion?

Answ. By Religion I mean a close Binding, or Uniting our selves to, and with God, the Supreme Being, in the Worship of him according to his Excellent Nature and At∣tributes, in keeping his Commandments, and seeking his

Grace and Favour, according to all his Divine Manifesta∣tions of himself; and in so doing we are joined, and join our selves, as far as we can, with one another, in the same Religious Services performed by all.

Quest. Why do you call it Catholick, or truly Publick Re∣ligion?

Answ. Because God, to whom we properly and first Unite in Religion, is the most Publick and Universal Be∣ing, in whom all holy Spirits unite one with another; and from whom whoever separates, separates also from all good Spirits, and so falls into the only dangerous Schism.

2. Because the One God, and Jesus Christ his Son, our Lord, the One Mediator, would have all come to the Knowledge of this, as the Catholick Truth, that they might be saved; and hath therefore reconciled, and reca∣pitulated all in Heaven and Earth, into one Catholick Bo∣dy, in himself the Catholick Head.

3. Because Gods Manifestations of himself are the only true Publick Authentick Records of this Religion, and all other not derived from hence are private and false, and the Meetings set up to celebrate any other Religion, than thus manifested, are indeed the close Schismatical Conven∣ticles: For none can be Publick Assemblies, where God, the supremely Publick, and all holy Spirits, withdrawn with him, are not: And all are Publick, though but of two or three, where God the Publick it self, and in whom the whole Assembly of Saints meets, is in the midst of them.

Quest. Whence do you take occasion to call that Publick, or Catholick, that is Divine?

Answ. From the Apostle Peter, who when he is assert∣ing concerning the certainty of the Scripture Prophecy, affirms it a Principle absolutely necessary to be known, that it is not of any Private Interpretation; and that he may demonstrate it cannot be Private, he avows the Original

to be Divine. Now the plain Opposite to Private is Pub∣lick; in that therefore the Apostle does not oppose Publick, but Divine, to Private; it is plain in his sense, Divine is the only Publick; and whatever is truly Publick is Di∣vine, and all else Private.

Quest. How therefore are we to understand Private, to oppose it to Publick or Divine?

Answ. Idiotick or Private is applyed to persons whose Knowledge is very narrow and strait, and they have cog∣nisance of nothing beyond their little own. 2. To those that have no Publick Character of Office or Magistracy. And lastly, to such whose care, interest, and concern is con∣fined to themselves and their own: Even thus Private is justly affixed to all; except only to God, and Religion as derived from him. No created Knowledge, either Ange∣lick or Humane, is comprehensive enough to be the Foun∣tain; no Power or Authority is supreme or vast enough to Enact; nor is any care or concern for the world of Souls, large or receptive enough to Ordain a Catholick Religion leading to a Common Salvation, but his who is the Father of the whole Family of Spirits in Heaven and Earth.

Quest. What Evidence of this is there?

Answ. It is so much the Result of Reason, that whoe∣ver considers it, cannot deny it; and upon this account, all who have pretended to found a Religion, have pre∣tended some way or other to derive and receive it from God. For who can know all that is necessary to be known, but the Divine Mind and Spirit, that knows and searches it self, the Spring of all things, and so first to be known? Or what Authority can prescribe without, much less against Omnipotency? Or who can spread tender Mercies over all the Creation, but the Faithful Creator himself? All which are absolutely necessary to the Concernments of the truly Catholick, Publick Religion.

Quest. What are the Records God hath vouchsafed to men, of this Catholick, Publick Religion?

Answ. They are two: The Law ingraven upon Man's heart, justified and sealed by the constant Miracle of Crea∣tion and Providence, that carry semblable Lines of all that is written upon Mens hearts: For that which may be known of God is manifest in men, for God hath shewed it to them: For the invisible things of him, from the Creation of the World are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his Eternal Power and Godhead.

The Work that God commands Men to do is written in their heart, their Consciences bearing witness, and their Thoughts in the mean time accusing or excusing one another.

The Eternal Word, or Reason, that made all things, is the Light that lighteth the Reason of every man that com∣eth into the world.

Quest. Which is the second Record?

Answ. The second Record is Divine Revelation collect∣ed into Holy Scriptures; All Scripture is given by inspira∣tion of God, and is profitable for Doctrine, Reproof, Instru∣ction, Correction in Righteousness; that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished to every good work. No Pro∣phesie of Scripture is of any Private Interpretation; for Prophesie came not in old time by the Will of Man, but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

And even as the Law of Nature is seal'd by Creation and Providence, so hath Revelation always been by Evi∣dences of Divinity, and Miracles; a new Creation, pro∣portioned to the Ends of those Revelations: Miracles of meer Power or Justice, as upon Pharaoh; of greatest Mer∣cy and Benefaction only, as by the most merciful Saviour; of Mercy, and sometimes of Justice, as by Moses, the Pro∣phets, and the Apostles, who were to establish the Laws of the Old and New Testament.

Quest. I perceive then all the things of Religion were not clear to Man by the Law written in his heart.

Answ. No: For some Parts of Religion are so necessa∣ry to our very Natures, as Men, that they were concrea∣ted with us, and engraven upon our very Souls, and the immediate motions of our Faculties must needs lead us to them, while right and streight, and continuing in that perfect state wherein our Creator left them.

For he looked upon all things that he had made, and behold all was good, and very good: And he appointed a Sabbatism for all his Creatures, and especially his Rational Creatures, the Morning Stars, to sing together, and praise him for them.

But there are other Divine Truths, which are as the breaking up of the Great Deep of the Infinite Wisdom, Grace, and Goodness of God, that can be known to the highest Understandings of Angels, or Arch-Angels, only by Revelation: Much less to Man, a Reason of a lower Orb, and least of all, as fallen and corrupted.

Yet supposing the Souls of Men had abode in their first Clearness and Luster, all his Faculties would have imme∣diately received and adored God in all such Manifestati∣ons of himself, and Congratulated those mighty Acces∣sions of Light and Truth.

Quest. But what need was there of any Revelation, when Man was made perfect and good, while he continued so?

Answ. Revelation was even then necessary, to shew, that it is not consistent with the Nature of a Creature to have Happiness and Perfection within it self; but to be in continual dependence upon, and expectation from the Creator: For even that Perfection wherein Adam was made, was thus to maintain, continue, and assure it self; and so to rise to higher Perfection; He had therefore at first a Doctrine by Revelation, sutable to the two Sa∣cramental Trees, so that though he was Perfect, as such

a Creature without Sin, yet he was made with a possibi∣lity of higher Advancement, and Perfection; as he was of falling from his present Perfection, by not adhering to his Creator, according to what was revealed to him.

Quest. What Relation do these two Records bear to one another, being both of God?

Answ. It is therefore impossible, they should either of them one contradict another, but that they unite with, confirm, and justifie one another, and one pass out of, and repass into another; but the latter being more full, clear, and perfect, makes not only the Additions of what was not contained in the former, but does much inligh∣ten and clear it; and since the Fall, it is no where else perfectly to be found, but in Revelation: Yet so, that whatever of it remains, or is reinkindled by Revelation, does both prepare a Man to receive, and does also assure him the truth of Divine Revelation.

Quest. You have shewed with what Wisdom, Goodness, and excellent Contrivance, all things were laid by the Creator, let me now hear from you the use I am to make of it?

Answ. This teaches us to adore, applaud the Fidelity and Goodness of our Holy Maker, and to confess whate∣ver disorder hath invaded this State of things is owing altogether to the perverseness and weakness of Man, whose Destruction is of himself alone, and his help only in God, returning him to himself according to this first Designation.

Quest. What then is the Supreme End of this Publick and Catholick Religion?

Answ. God, the Universal Being, receiving into his own most Publick Glory, Life and Happiness, the Universe of his Holy Creation, is Praised, Glorified, Enjoy'd, and ad∣mired in them, and by them, to Eternity.