First, you must be grounded in the main Fundamentals of §1Religion; you must be strong in the faith, and after that labour to edify your selves in all the truths of God, so as one may be helpful to another. It is not for every one who hath but little time, little knowledge, little means, little strength, to tyre out himself and others in doubtful disputes. The Scripture is so much against this, as nothing can be more. 1 Tim. 1. 4. Which minister questions rather then edifying. To ask and discourse of questions about the great things that concern thy soul, thy eternal estate, how thou mayest live further to the honour of God, is good, when you meet together; to confer one with another what God hath done for your souls, to tell each other the experiences of your own hearts, and Gods dealings with you, what temptations ye meet with, and how God helps you against them; such things as these would edify. But when your questions are about things that you are never like to understand, and if you did understand, they little concern you, they would not be helpful to you one whit in the ways of godliness, these the holy Ghost would not have you spend your time in. Eccles. 7. 29. Man was made upright and he hath found out to himself many inventions, Miscuerit see infinitis questionibus, so the old Latin reads it, he hath mingled himself in infinite questions. If we had but that great question more amongst us, What shall we do to be saved? it would cause many unprofitable questions to vanish. Never such ignorance came upon the Christian world, as in that age when the Schoolmen were in the highest esteem; all Religion then was turned into Questions, both the mystery and the power of godliness was lost. The things of Religion ⟨p. 150⟩are rather to be believed then disputed. We believe Fishermen, not Logicians,1 says Ambrose. The Devil at this day seeks to darken the glory of Religion this way; he sees that in regard so much light hath broke forth, he cannot get men presently off it by profaneness, therefore he labours to eat out the strength of it by busying them, and getting them to delight in multitudes of questions, and that about things of lesser concernment.
First, you must be grounded in the maine Fundamentalls of §1Religion; you must be strong in the faith, and after that labour to edifie your selves in all the truths of God, so as one may be helpfull to another. It is not for every one who hath but little time, little knowledge, little meanes, little strength, to tyre out himselfe and others in doubtfull disputes. The Scripture is so much against this, as nothing can be more. 1 Tim. 1. 4. Which minister questions rather then edifying. To aske and discourse of questions about the great things that concerne thy soule, thy eternall estate, how thou maist live further to the honour of God, is good, when you meet together; to confer one with another what God hath done for your soules, to tell each other the experiences of your owne hearts, and Gods dealings with you, what temptations ye meet with, and how God helps you against them; such things as these would edifie. But when your questions are about things that you are never like to understand, and if you did understand, they little concerne you, they would not be helpfull to you one whit in the wayes of godlinesse, these the holy Ghost would not have you spend your time in. Eccles. 7. 29. Man was made upright and he hath found out to himselfe many inventions, Miscuerit se infinitis questionibus, so the old Latine reads it, he hath mingled himselfe in infinite questions. If we had but that great question more amongst us, What shall wee doe to be saved? it would cause many unprofitable questions to vanish. Never such ignorance came upon the Christian world, as in that age when the Schoolmen were in the highest esteeme; all Religion then was turned into Questions, both the mystery and the power of godlinesse was lost. The things of Religion ⟨p. 150⟩are rather to be beleeved then disputed. We beleeve Fishermen, not Logitians,1 sayes Ambrose. The Devill at this day seekes to darken the glory of Religion this way; he sees that in regard so much light hath broke forth, he cannot get men presently off it by prophaneness, therefore he labours to eat out the strength of it by busying them, and getting them to delight in multitudes of questions, and that about things of lesser concernment.
- 1Credimus piscatoribus, non Dialecticis. Ambr.
