His first section is entitled, " Light and Spirit," the pretence whereof he treats after his manner, and cashiers from giving any such advantage as is inquired after. But neither yet are we arrived to any concernment of Protestants. That which they plead as their advantage is not the empty names of light and spirit, but the truth of Christ revealed in the Scripture. I know there are not a few who have impertinently used these good words and Scripture expressions, which yet ought no more to be scoffed at by others than al)used by them ; but that any have made the plea here pretended as to their settlement in religion, I know not. The truth is, if they have, it is no other upon the matter but what our author calls them unto. To a naked " Credo" he would reduce them; and that differs only from v/hat seems to be the mind of them that plead light and spirit [in this], that he would have them resolve their faith irrationally into the authority of the church ; they pretend to do it into the Scripture.
But what he aims to bring men unto, he justifies from the ex- amples of Christians in ancient times, " who had to deal with Jews and Pagans, whose disputes were rational and weighty, and puzzled the wisest of the clergy to answer. So that after all their ratiocina- tion ended, whether it sufficed or no, they still concluded with this one word, ' Credo ;/ which in logic and philosophy was a weak answer, but in religion the best and only one to be made." What could be spoken more untruly, more contumeliously, or more to the reproach of Christian religion, I cannot imagine. It is true, indeed, that as to the resolution, satisfaction, and settlement of their own souls. Chris- tians always built their faith [on], and resolved it into, the authority of God in his word ; but that they opposed their naked " Credo " to
78 ANIMADVEESIOXS ON A TREATISE
the disputes of Jews or Pagans, or rested in that for a solution of their objections, is heavenly-wide, — as far from truth wg ovpavog sgt uto jaiy\g. I wonder any man Avho hath ever seen, or almost heard, of the dis- putes and discourses of Justin Martyi', Clemens Alexandrinus, Origen, Theophilus Antiochenus, Athenagoras, Tertullian, Lactantius, Chry- sostom, Austin, Theodoret, and innumerable others, proving the faith of the Christian religion against the Jews from Scripture, and the reasoualjleness of it against the Pagans, with the folly and foppery of theirs, could on any account be induced to cast out such a reproach against them. But it seems "jacta est alea," and we must go on; and, therefore, to carry on the design of bringing us all to a naked "■ Credo," resolved into the authority of the present church, — a thing never heard of, spoken of, nor, that it appears, dreamed of, by any of the ancient Christians, — the objections of the Jews against the Chris- tian religion are brought on the stage, and an inquiry made how they can be satisfactorily answered. His words are, p. 142, " In any age of the Christian church a Jew might say thus to the Christians then living, ' Your Lord and Master was born a Jew, and under the jurisdiction of the high priests; these he opposed, and taught a reli- gion contrary to Moses (otherwise how comes there to be a faction?) But how could he justly do it? no human power is of force against God's, who spake (as you also grant) by Moses and the prophets; and divine power it could not be, for God is not contrary to himself And although your Lord might say, as indeed he did, that Moses spake of him as of a prophet to come, greater than himself, yet who shall judge that such a thing was meant of his person ? For since that prophet is neither specified by his name nor characteristical pro- perties' (Avell said, Jew), 'who could say it was he more than any other to come? And if there were a greater to come than Moses were, surely bom a Jew, he would, being come into the world, rather exalt that law to more ample glory than diminish it. And if you will farther contest that such a prophet was to abrogate the first law and bring in a new one, who shall judge in this case? — the whole church of the Hebrews, who never dreamed of any such thing? or one mem- ber thereof who was born a subject to their judgments?' This," saith he, "is the gi'eat oecumenical difficulty; and he that in any age of Chris- tianity could either answer it, or find any bulwark to set against it, so that it should do no harm, would easily either salve or prevent all other difiiculties," etc.
The difficulty, as is evident, lay in this, that the authority and judgment of the whole church of the Hebrews lay against Christ and the gospel. That church, when Christ conversed on earth, was a true church of God, the only church on earth, and had been so for two thousand years, without interruption in itself, without competi- tion from any other. It had its high priest, confessedly instituted by
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