The Protestant Mirror

The Trial of DOCTRINES, Its Necessity, and the Sure way: For the Service of the Church, and Strengthning of Believers.

THe course of seeking Holy Knowledge, at the mouths of those, whose Lips by their calling ought to preserve it, is termed by Solomon, a buying of the Truth. As therefore in buying, it is every man's Wisdom to consider the Wares which are tendered to him, how they are conditioned, and (as Chrysostom saith pithily to this purpose) To go from Shop to Shop, and from Chapman to Chapman, to look where he may have the best, before he make a through bargain : so it ought to be the care of a prudent Christian, to consider of particulars, which are taught, before he give them entertainment. Take heed how you hear, said our Savior; doth not this take heed in hearing intend a trial of things heard?

Some purpose to deceive, whom the Apostle termeth Liars in wait to deceive, and whom he compares (according to the nature of the Greek Word used) to Cheaters and false Gamesters, who have devices by cogging Dice, to deceive the unskillful. These speak perverse things, and privily bring in damnable Heresies. It hath been an ancient practice of the Devil, to be a lying spirit in the mouths of some Prophets ; There have been ever some misleading leaders, causers of the people to err by their lies ; and Saint Peter hath assured us, that in this particular, the latter times will-hold proportion with the former: Still there will be some Seeds-men of Tares amongst them that sow the purer Wheat, some temperers of Leaven, with the sweet Lump of God's sacred Truth.

A Man might so lap up the poisonous drugs of Popery, and so gild them over with the seeming Allowance of Scripture, and of hore-headed Antiquity, that even the greatest part would soon swallow them down without suspicion.

We disclaim all Lordship over your faith, We are set on Work, for the service of your Faith, not for commanding it. We leave it to Papists to Tyrannize over Men's Thoughts in matters of Religion, and to require the people to lap up their faith in the general believing of the Church. We desire you to Try, we beseech you to inquire, we would fain bring you to stand in the ways and ask, we know you can never till then have stablished hearts.

The main Touch by which all Doctrine must be tried, and by which it must either stand or fall, is the will of God revealed in the scriptures. Bring them to the Law, and to the Testimony, (said the Oracle of God of old) and consider whether they speak according to that word. By this our Savior himself was content to be Tryed : by this the preaching of Paul and Silas at Thessalonica was tried : Religious Doctrines are God's matters, and shall we have a better then God to be tried by, in the things of God ? and how shall we know what is God's mind in a matter of Doctrine, but by the Scriptures ? Excellent spake he, who called the Scripture the Heart and Soul of God ; and he who affirmed that God hath left for us in the Scriptures, a Fortress against Errors. Let Papists (if they will needs) persist in their blasphemous disclaiming the trial of the Scripture, accounting Traditions to be the Touchstone of Doctrine, and foundation of Faith.

We will ever account them the Divine beam; and the most exact balance, and approve that course of that great Constantine, exhorting the Fathers assembled in the Nicene Council, to take the resolution of things in question, out of the divinely inspired Writings.

And let Men learn here by the way, how necessary it is for them, if they would be rightly grounded in religion, to be well acquainted in the Scriptures. Our Savior's rule can never fail, You are deceived, not knowing the Scriptures. God forbid, we should under any pretext dishearten you in your care to turn over God's Book. Let profaneness, and Popery cast reproaches, upon diligence and ordinariness; herein we the Ministers of Christ, shall rather call upon you as Chrysostom of old did upon his hearers, Hear, O ve men of the World, get you Bibles. It is (saith another of the Ancients) of all torments, the greatest to the Devils, if they see a Man given to Reading of the Scriptures.

We wondered of late times, to see so many not simple people only, but Learned Clerks and Rabbies, to turn Papists, we needed not, if we had considered, that their hearts were gone to Rome before, and now their heads followed after. Were they well examined, many of them, it would be found, they first put away a good conscience, before they made shipwreck of the Faith ; their hearts betrayed their heads. Many of them were (its known they were) Covetous, Ambitious, Uoluptuous ; and Popery hath baits of all sorts to catch them: that great Harlot and Mother of Fornications, hath a Golden Cup, full of Preferments, Profits, Pleasures, and this made men's heads Drunk and Giddy, to embrace the grossest Errors and Obsurdities for Truths.

Christ cannot be taken nor overtaken, Hunt and Catch, and lay Snares who will; Saul, Judas, or all the Violent Crafty Hypocrites in the World. A Bow of Steel is broken by his Hand: Hell is naked before him; not only open, but naked as a thing without all strength or force to hurt.

When the Kingdom is destroyed by hearkening to flatterers and self-seekers, what will ye do? If you shall to please fawning Men, or froward men, displease God, and betray all into the hands of his wrath, what will these unworthy persons advantage you? when the guilt of the blood of thousands, lies upon your consciences, will you send them for those Clergy-men, or States-men, which mislead you? why, you may, and miserable comforters will they be.

The Ram was caught behind him, Genesis 22. 13. The pleasure of the Lord doth prosper at his pleasure, and as his pleasure; sometimes before us, that is, in ways which we can reach, and serve God's providence in; sometimes again, behind us, that is, in such ways as we cannot reach, to lend him the least Concurrence in, to teach that our expectation should be purely placed upon his word, and that we should say to our Souls in all straits, The pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. Abraham had no hands behind him, neither do men ordinarily go that way to catch things, yet there was the Ramm caught.

If ever England shine, or any Instrument in England, 'twill be as in his hand, by whom alone all shall prosper. Expectation pure, the Spirit is solid, very high, and yet very low, never at a loss.

Nothing makes the way of a Mans Spirit so wide and sweet within him, as fidelity to God and to his Conscience; 'tis so in bigger bodies, nothing makes the way of a Kingdom more quiet and prosperous within itself, then faithful dealing with God, and the advantages it hath by his hand.

Is God amongst us? Israel wants water, Amalek waits to give battle, and this great straight made that great State fall a chiding of God and one another. Is God amongst us? The place was called for this, Massah, Meribah (i.d.) striving and chiding. The bigger Bodies are, with the greater difficulties they move; now when great difficulties, make great impatience, towards God and towards one another, this and not our straights endangers all.

I know nothing wherein a wise Christian hath more cause to fear himself, that his love nor his zeal is not so servant as it hath been.

The Ship-wrack'd CLERK Whose Heart was gone to Rome before his Head : Drawn to the Life by his own PENSIL.

That the Presbiterians were such Persons, as the very Devil Blush'd at them; and that the Villain Hamden grudged, and made it more Scruple of Conscience, to give Twenty Shillings to the KING, for supplying his Necessities by Ship-Money and Loan, which was His Right by Law, than to raise Rebellion against Him: And that the Presbiterians are worse (and far more Intollerable) than either Priests or Jesuits.

That a Presbiterian Brother, qua talis, was as great a Traitor by the Statute, as any Priest or Jesuit whatsoever.

Mr. Thompson in his Preaching inveyed bitterly against Subscribing Petitions for Sitting of this Parliament, saying, That it was like the Seed of Rebellion and like to Forty One; and that the Devil set them on work, and the Devil would pay them their Wages; saying, That before he would set his Hand to such Petitions, he would cut it off, yea, & cut them off.

Mr. Thompson comes to this Informant, Mr. Rowe, and claps his Hands on his Shoulders, saying, Hah Boy, had Queen Elizabeth been living, you needed not to have been Sword-bearer of Bristol. The said Rowe asked him why? He replied, She loved such a lusty Rogue (so well) as he was, and he would have been very fit for her drudgery at White-Hall.

Mr. Thompson said Jan. 30. 1679. in the same Sermon, There was a great noise of a Popish Plot, but, says he, Here is nothing in it but a Presbyterian Plot; for here they are going about to Petition for the Sitting of the Parliament, but the end of it will be to bring the Kings Head to the Block, as they have done his Father.

Mr. Thompson speaking concerning the Meeters in private, said, He would hale them out and fill the Goals with them, and hoped to see their Houses afire about their ears in a short time; and this, he the said Thompson, doubled again and again.

Thompson said, If he were as well sattisfied of other things, as he was of Justification, Auricular Confession, Penance, Extream Unction, and Crisme in Baptism, he would not have been so long separated from the Catholic Church. And further affirmed, That the Church of Rome was the True Catholic Church.

Further, he hath heard him say, The King was a Person of mean and soft Temper and could be led easily to anything, but yet a Solomon in vices; but that the Duke of York was a Prince of a brave Spirit, would be faithful to his Friends, & c.

And that in Discourse, he commended the Romish Clergy for their single Life, and is himself so; and did at the same time Vilify and Rail at the English Clergy for Marrying; saying, It was better for a Clergy-Man to be Guelt, then to Marry; and that the Calvinists in France were Lecherous Fellows, & c.

He further said in the Pulpit at St. Thomas 's, That after Excommunication by the Bishop, without Absolution from the Spiritual Court, such a one was surely Damned; and he would pawn his Soul for the Truth of it.