Animadversions on a treatise entitled Fiat lux, or, A guide in differences of religion,…Animadversions on a treatise intituled Fiat lux, or, A guide in differences of religion,…

for, so he may serve his own design, he cares not, it seems, openly to contradict the practise of the Church of God, ever since there was a Church in the world. To avoid that Charge he tells us, That the Apostles and Apostolical Churches, had no Sermons, but all their Preaching was merely for the Conversion of men to the faith, and, when this was done, there was an end of their preaching, and, for this he instanceth in the Sermons mentioned in the Acts, ch. 2, 3, 5, 10, 7, 8, 13, 14, 16, 18, 19, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28. ⟨p. 292⟩I wonder, what he thinks of Christ himself, whether he preached or no, in the Temple, or in the Synagogues of the Jews; and whether the Judaical Church to whose Members he preached, were not then a true, yea, the only Church in the world; and, whether Christ was not anointed and sent to preach the Gospel to them? If he know not this, he is very ignorant; if he doth know it, he is somewhat that deserves a worse name: To labour to exterminate that out of the Religion of Christ, which was one of the chief works of Christ (for we do not read, that he went up and down singing Mass, though I have heard of a Fryer, that conceived, that to be his employment) is a work unbecoming any man, that would count himself wronged, not to be esteemed a Christian. But what ever Christ did, it may be, it matters not; the Apostles and Apostolical Churches had no Sermons, but only such as they preached to Infidels and Jews to convert them; that is, they did not labour to instruct men in the knowledge of the mysteries of the Gospel, to build them up in their Faith, to teach them more and more the good knowledge of God, ⟨p. 293⟩revealing unto them the whole counsel of his will. And is it possible that any man who hath ever read over the New Testament, or any one of Paul's Epistles, should be so blinded by prejudices, and made so confident in his assertions, as to dare, in the face of the Sun, whilst the Bible is in every ones hand, to utter a matter so devoid of truth, and all colour or pretence of probability? Methinks men should think it enough to sacrifice their consciences to their Moloch, without casting wholly away their reputation to be consumed in the same flames.

for, so he may serve his own design, he cares not, it seems, openly to contradict the practise of the Church of God, ever since there was a Church in the world. To avoid that Charge he tells us, That the Apostles and Apostolical Churches, had no Sermons, but all their Preaching was meerly for the Conversion of men to the faith, and, when this was done, there was an end of their preaching, and, for this he instanceth in the Sermons mentioned in the