154 CAUSES, WAYS, AND MEANS, ETC. [BOOK VI., PART II.
herself. And can it stand in competition with him ? He is infallible ; the unction "is truth, and is no lie;" the Spirit is truth. This also, indeed, that church pretends unto, but with such an open affront unto all evidence of truth as the world never underwent from any of its people before. He is absolutely, infinitely, eternally free from any design but the glory of God [in] the present and eternal good of them that are instructed by him. It will be very difficult for those of Rome to pretend hereunto ; yea, it is apparent that all the exer- cise of their instructing authority lieth in a subserviency unto then- own interest. When I see that men by a pretence hereof have gotten unto themselves wealth, power, principalities, dominions, with great revenues, and do use them all unto their own advantage, and mostly to the satisfaction of their lusts, pleasures, pride, ambi- tion, and the like inordinate affections, I confess I cannot be free to deliver up blindfold the conduct of my soul unto them. He is full of divine love and care of the souls of them whom he doth instruct; is it so with them, or can any creature participate in his love and care? He is infinitely wise, and "knoweth all things, yea, the deep things of God," and can make known what he pleaseth of them unto us; as the apostle discourseth, 1 Cor. ii. They who preside in that church are ignorant themselves, as all men are, and the less they know it the more ignorant they are : yea, for the most part, as unto' sacred things, they are comparatively so with respect unto other ordinary men; as a late pope, when some of their divines waited for an infallible determination of a theological controversy among them, confessed that he had not studied those things, nor had the knowledge of them been his profession !
But yet, notwithstanding these and several other differences be- tween these teachers, it is marvellous to consider how many betake themselves unto the latter of them, and how few unto the former; and the reason is, because of the different methods they take in teaching, and the different qualifications they require in them that are to be taught: for as unto them whom the Spirit of God under- taketh to instruct, he requireth that they be meek and humble; that they give themselves unto continual prayer, meditation, and study in the word day and night; above all, that they endeavour a con- formity in their whole souls and lives unto the truths that he instructs them in. These are hard conditions unto flesh and blood; few there are who like them, and therefore few they are who apply themselves unto the school of God. We may be admitted scholars by the other teacher on far cheaper and easier rates. Men may be made "good Catholics," as to faith and understanding, without the least cost in self-denial, or much trouble unto the flesh in any other duty. There is no qualification required for the admission of a man into the Catho-
CHAP. III.] SPIRITUAL ILLUMINATION PEOVED FROM SCRIPTURE. 155
lie schools, and barely to be there is to be wise and knowing enough. Wherefore, although all advantages imaginable as unto the teachers lie on the one hand, yet the pretended easy way of learning casts the multitude on the other; for it requireth more wisdom than we have of ourselves to be at all that charge and pains in spiritual duty, and diligence in the use of all means for the right understanding of the mind of God, which is required in and of all them who will ad- vantageously partake of the teaching of the Holy Spirit, when it is supposed we may have all the ends which we aim at thereby in an easy and naked assent unto the proposals of the church, without the least farther charge or trouble. But these are the measures of sloth- ful and carnal minds, who prefer their ease, their lusts, and plea- sures, before their souls. There is difficulty in all things that are excellent; neither can we partake of the excellency of any thing unless we will undertake its difficulty. But although the ways whereby we may come unto a participation of the teaching of the Holy Ghost seem at first rough and uneasy, yet unto all that engage in them they will be found to be " ways of pleasantness and paths of peace."
It may be said, " That it is evident in common experience that many men do attain a great knowledge and skill in the things re- vealed in the Scripture, without any of that internal teaching by the illumination of their minds which is pleaded for, especially if it be to be obtained by the means now intimated, and afterward more fully to be declared: for they themselves do renounce the necessity of any such teaching, and esteem all that is spoken of it a vain ima- gination ; and not only so, but live, some of them, in an open defiance of all those qualifications and duties which are required unto a par- ticipation of these teachings. Yet it is foolish to pretend they are not skilled in the knowledge of divinity, seeing it is plain that they excel most other men therein ; and therefore do sufficiently despise all them who pretend unto any benefit by the supernatural illumi- nation contended for."