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,…

Now wh•t a madness is this, or childishness, above that of very Children, to lye swaggering and contending one with another, before all the World, with fallible Mediums about the sense of Scripture, and giving Expositions, which no man is bound to acquiesce in, any further than he sees Reason; whilst all this while they have One amongst them, who can infallibly interpret all; and that with such an Authority, as all men are bound to rest in, and contend no further? And the further mischief of it is, That of all the ⟨p. 101⟩rest, This man is always silent, as to Exposition of Scripture, who alone is able to part the fray. There be two things, which I think verily, if I were a Papist, I should never like in the Pope; because methinks they argue a great deal of want of good nature: The one is (that we treat about) That he can see his Children so fiercely wrangle about the sense of Scripture, & yet will not give out what is the infallible meaning of every place, at least that is controverted, and so stint the strife amongst them, seeing it seems he can if he would. And the other is, That he suffers so many souls to lye in Purgatory, when he may let them forth if he please; and (that I know of) hath received no order to the contrary. But the truth is, That neither the Romanists, nor we, have any infallible living Judge, in whose determination of the sense of Scripture, all men should be bound to acquiesce, upon the account of his Authority: This is all the difference: We openly profess we have none such, and betake us to that which we have, which is better for us; They pretending they have, yet acting constantly as if they had not, and as indeed ⟨p. 102⟩they have not; maintain a perpetual inconsistency, and contradiction between their Pretensions, and their Practice. The holy Ghost, speaking in and by the Scripture, using the Ministry of men furnished by himself, with gifts and abilities, and lawfully called to the Work▪ for the oral Declaration, or other Expositions of his mind, is that which the Protestants cleave unto, for the interpreting of the Scripture; which its self discovers, when infallible. And if Papists can tell me of a better way, I will quickly embrace it.

Now wh•t a madness is this, or childishness, above that of very Children, to lye swaggering and contending one with another, before all the World, with fallible Mediums about the sense of Scripture, and giving Expositions, which no man is bound to acquiesce in, any further than he sees Reason; whilst all this while they have One amongst them, who can infallibly interpret all; and that with such an Authority, as all men are bound to rest in, and contend no further? And the further mischief of it is, That of all the