LVIII. can play well on an inftrument; for they hear thy words, SERM. but they do them not: they for a time rejoice in the light of God's meffengers, as thofe Jews did in the light of that John v. 35. burning and Shining lamp, St. John the Baptift; but all comes to nothing; but they are backward and careless to perform, at least more than they please themselves, or what fuiteth to their fancy, their humour, their appetite, their interest: many hearers will believe only what they like, or what fuiteth to their prejudices and paffions; many of what they believe will practise that only which forteth with their temper, or will ferve their defigns; they cannot conform to unpleasant and unprofitable doctrines: fometimes care choketh the word; fometimes temptation of pleasure, of profit, of honour allureth; fometimes difficulties, hazards, perfecutions, discourage from obedience to it. These particulars are obvious, and by moft will be confented to: there is one point which perhaps will more hardly be admitted, which therefore I fhall more largely infift upon; it is this: 6. That as in all cafes it is our duty to defer much regard to the opinion of our guides, fo in fome cafes it behoveth us to rely barely upon their judgment and advice; those especially among them who excel in dignity and worth, who are approved for wisdom and integrity; their definitions, or the declarations of their opinion, (efpecially fuch as are exhibited upon mature deliberation and debate, in a folemn manner,) are ever very probable arguments of truth and expediency; they are commonly the best arguments which can be had in fome matters, especially to the meaner and fimpler fort of people. This upon many accounts will appear reasonable. It is evident to experience, that every man is not capable to judge, or able to guide himself in matters of this nature, (concerning divine truth and confcience.) There are children in understanding; there are men weak Rom. xiv. in faith, (or knowledge concerning the faith;) there are xvi. 18. idiots, axaxoi, (men not bad, but fimple,) persons occupying 1 Cor. xiv. the room of the unlearned, unskilful in the word of righte-viii. 10. 1. xv. 1, &c. 16. iii. 2. SERM. oufnefs, who, as the Apostle faith, need that one should LVIII. teach them which be the firfi principles of the oracles of Heb. v. 12. God. judicium, non veritas. Tac. Vulgo non The vulgar fort of men are as undiscerning and injudicious in all things, fo peculiarly in matters of this nature, so much abftracted from common fenfe and experience; whence we fee them eafily feduced into the Ant. fondest conceits and wildest courses by any flender artiEph. iv. 14. fice or fair pretence; like children, toffed to and fro, and Ακριτον ὁ δῆμος. Μ. carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the fleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive. There are also fome particular cafes, a competent information and skill in which must depend upon improvements of mind acquired by more than ordinary study and experience; fo that in them most people do want fufficient means of attaining knowledge requifite to guide their judgment or their practice: and for fuch perfons in such cases it is plainly the beft, the wifeft, and the safest way, to rely upon the direction of their guides, affenting to what they declare, acting what they prescribe, going whither they conduct d. The very notion of guides, and the defign of their office, doth import a difference of knowledge, and a need of reliance upon them in fuch cases; it fignifieth, that we are in some measure ignorant of the way, and that they better know it; and if fo, plain reafon dictateth it fit that we fhould follow them: and indeed what need were there of guides, to what purpose should we have them, if we can fufficiently ken the way, and judge what we should do, without them? In the state of learning, (in which the affigning us teachers fuppofeth us placed,) whatever our capacity may be, yet our judgment at least (for want of a full comprehenfion of things, which must be discovered in order and d ̓Αλλ ̓ εἰδότες ἑτέροις βέλτιον εἶναι τὰς ἑαυτῶν ἡνίας ἐνδιδόναι τεχνικωτέροις, ἢ ἄλλων ἡνιόχους εἶναι ἀνεπισήμονας, καὶ ἀκοὴν ὑποτιθέναι μᾶλλον εὐγνώμονα, ἢ γλῶσ σαν κινεῖν ἀπαίδευτον. Naz. Οr. 1. -fide calidus, et virtute robuftus, &c. Cypr. Ep. 23. de Luciano. by degrees) is imperfect: in that ftate therefore it be- SERM. cometh us not to pretend exercise of judgment, but rather LVIII. eafily to yield affent to what our teachers, who see farther into the thing, do affert; The learner, as Seneca Regi debet, faith, is bound to be ruled, while he beginneth to be able to fe poffe redum incipit rule himself. Δεῖ μανθάνοντα πιςεύειν, A learner fould in fome meafure be credulous; otherwise, as he will often fail in his judgment, fo he will make little progrefs in learning; for if he will admit nothing on his master's word, if he will queftion all things, if he will continually be doubting and disputing, or contradicting and oppofing his teacher, how can inftruction proceed? He that prefently will be his own mafter is a bad fcholar, and will be a worse master. He that will fly before he is fledged, no wonder if he tumble down. : There are divers obvious and very confiderable cafes in which perfons moft contemptuous of authority, and refractory toward their guides, are constrained to rely upon the judgment of others, and are contented to do it, their confcience fhewing them unable to judge for themfelves in admitting the literal fenfe of Scripture, according to translations; in the interpretation of difficult places, depending upon the skill of languages, grammar, and criticism, upon the knowledge of human arts and fciences, upon hiftories and ancient customs: in fuch cafes, all illiterate perfons (however otherwise diffident and difregardful of authority) are forced to fee with the eyes of other men, to fubmit their judgment to the skill and fidelity of their learned guides, taking the very principles and foundations of their religion upon truft: and why then confonantly may they not do it in other cafes; especially in the refolution of difficult, fublime, obfcure, and fubtile points, the comprehenfion whereof tranfcendeth their capacity? gere. Sen. Ep. 94. SERMON LIX. OF OBEDIENCE TO OUR SPIRITUAL GUIDES Нев. хііі. 17. Obey them that have the rule over you. SERM. BUT farther, LIX. The more to engage and incline us to the performing this part of our duty, (the regarding, prizing, confiding in the judgment of our guides,) we may confider the great advantages, both natural and fupernatural, which they have to qualify them in order to fuch purposes. 1. They may reasonably be prefumed more intelligent and skilful in divine matters than others; for as they have the fame natural capacities and endowments with others, (or rather commonly fomewhat better than others, as being defigned and selected to this fort of employment,) fo their natural abilities are by all poffible means improved: it is their trade and faculty, unto which their education is directed; in acquiring ability toward which they spend their time, their care, their pains; in which Heb. v. 14. they are continually versed and exercised, (having, as the Apostle speaketh, by reafon of ufe their fenfes exercised to difcern both good and evil;) for which also they employ their fupplications and devotions to God. Many special advantages they hence procure, needful or very conducible to a more perfect knowledge of fuch matters, and to fecurity from errors; fuch as are con verfing with studies, which enlarge a man's mind, and SERM. improve his judgment; a skill of difquifition about things; LIX. of fifting and canvaffing points coming under debate; of weighing the force of arguments, and distinguishing the colours of things; the knowledge of languages, in which the divine oracles are expreffed; of fciences, of hiftories, of practices ferving to the discovery and illuftration of the truth; exercise in meditation, reading, writing, fpeaking, difputing, and conference, whereby the mind is greatly enlightened, and the reafon ftrengthened; acquaintance with variety of learned authors, who with great diligence have expounded the holy Scriptures, and with most accuracy difcuffed points of doctrine; efpecially with ancient writers, who, living near the apoftolical times and being immediately (or within few degrees mediately) their difciples, may juftly be fuppofed most helpful toward informing us what was their genuine doctrine, what the true fenfe of their writings: by fuch means as in other faculties, fo in this of theology, a competent skill may be obtained; there is no other ordinary or probable way; and no extraordinary way can be trusted, now that men appear not to grow learned or wife by special infpiration or miracle; after that all pretences to fuch by-ways have been detected of imposture, and do smell too rank of hypocrify. Since then our guides are fo advantageously qualified to direct us, it is in matters difficult and doubtful (the which require good measure of skill and judgment to determine about them) most reasonable that we should rely upon their authority, preferring it in fuch cafes to our private difcretion; taking it for more probable that they should comprehend the truth than we (unaffisted by them, and judging merely by our own glimmering light) can do; deeming it good odds on the fide of their doctrine against our opinion or conjecture. They have also another peculiar advantage toward judging fincerely of things, by their greater retirement from the world and difengagement from fecular interests; the which ordinarily do deprave the understandings and |