126 THE NATURE AND CAUSES OF APOSTASY,
of men leave, that (whether their conclusions were true or false about it) any man could come to the understanding of it who had not been a better proficient in the school of Aristotle than of Christ. To believe and teach the doctrine of the Scripture, though with sound reason and judgment, and in the way of the Scripture to affect the minds and consciences of men, without their philosophical notions, niceties, and distinctions, whereby they had carved a corrupt, depraved, mon- — strous image of all things, and the knowledge of them, was, among
them, to be a heretic or a blockhead. By the pride, confidence, and
pretended subtilty of these men was religion totally corrupted, and
the fountains poisoned from whence others sought for the waters of
the sanctuary. Even what was left of truth among them was so debased, so divested of its native heavenly glory, beauty, and majesty, was rendered so deformed and unsuited unto that spiritual light
wherein alone it can be usefully discerned, as to render it altogether
useless and inefficacious unto its proper ends. Nor are we ever in
more danger to subduct ourselves from under the teachings of God
than when we lean unto our own understandings in our inquiries
into spiritual things, so as to forget that humble, lowly frame of
heart wherein alone we are meet to be taught or to learn in a due
manner. And this is one way whereby men, through the innate
pride of their minds, are obstructed in the receiving and disposed
unto the relinquishment of evangelical truths.
Again; it is confessed that there is nothing proposed unto us in the gospel that is contrary unto reason, as reason is the due compre- hension and measure of things as they are in their own nature; for how should there be so, seeing it is in itself the principal external effect of the reason or wisdom of God, which hath given unto all things their natures, properties, and measures? But yet there are things revealed in it which are above the comprehension of reason, as planted in the finite, limited understanding of man; nor is the ground hereof the accidental corruption of our nature, but the essen- tial constitution of its being. There are, I say, divine mysteries in the gospel whose revelation we may understand, but the nature of the things themselves we cannot comprehend. And this reason itself cannot but acknowledge; for whereas it knows itself to be finite, limited, and bounded, how should it be able perfectly to compre- hend things infinite, or all the effects of infinite wisdom? “Can we by searching find out God? can we find out the Almighty unto per- fection? It is high as heaven; what can we do? deeper than hell; what can we know? The measure thereof is longer than the earth, and broader than the sea,” Job xi. 7-9. These things so exceed the natural and duly proportionate objects of our understandings as that we cannot find them out to perfection. The reason of man hath
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PRIDE, ETC., CAUSES OF APOSTASY. 127
nothing here to do, but humbly to comply with the revelations that
are made of them.
Moreover, there are in the gospel things that are unsuited, yea, contradictory unto reason as it is corrupted. Reason in us is now no longer to be considered merely as it is finite and limited, but as, in the subject and exercise of it, it is impaired, depraved, and corrupted. To deny this, is to deny the fundamental principle and supposition that, in all things, the gospel proceedeth on; that is, that Jesus Christ came into the world to restore and repair our nature. In this state, as it is unable of itself to discern and judge of spiritual things in a due manner, so it is apt to frame unto itself vain imaginations, and to be prepossessed with innumerable prejudices, contrary unto what the gospel doth teach and require; and whatever it doth so fancy or frame, the mind esteems as proper acts and effects of reason as any it exerciseth or is capable of.
With respect unto both these,—namely, the weakness of reason as it is finite and limited, and the depravation of reason as it is cor- rupted,—it is the design of the gospel to bring every thought into captivity unto the obedience of faith; for,—
1, As to the former, it requires men to believe things above their reason, merely on the authority of divine revelation. Things they must believe which “eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have they entered into the heart of man to conceive;” only they are “re- vealed unto us by the Spirit,” 1 Cor. i. 9,10. It will not admit of an inquiry how those things, may be which the mouth of the Lord hath spoken. The sense and meaning of the revelation it may in- quire into, but cannot comprehend the things revealed. “ Nobis curiositate opus non est post Jesum Christum, nec inquisitione post evangelium ; cum credimus nihil desideramus ultra credere, hoc enim prius credimus, non esse quod ultra credere debemus,” Tertull. Pree- scrip. adv. Heres. And when of old the wise, the scribes, the dis- puters of this world, would not submit hereunto, under the supposed conduct of their reason, they fell into the most brutish unreasonable- ness, in judging the wisdom of God to be folly and his power to be weakness, 1 Cor. i. 18-25. And it is an unparalleled attempt of atheism which some in our days (who would yet be accounted Chris- tians) have engaged in;—they would exalt philosophy or human rea- son into a right of judicature over all divine revelations. Nothing must be supposed to be contained in them but what is measurable by its principles and rules) What pretends to be above them, they say ought to be rejected; which is to make itself infinite, or the wisdom and understanding of God finite and limited. Wherefore, as to the things that are revealed in the gospel, because many of them are absolutely above the comprehension of our minds or rea-