A free disputation against pretended liberty of conscience tending to resolve doubts moved

9. It argues the word of God, of obscurity and darkness, as not being able to instruct us in all truths, and renders it as a nose of wax in all non-fundamentals, histories, narrations, &c. in which notwithstanding the Scripture is as evident, plain, simple, obvious to the lowest capacities in most points, except some few Prophesies, as it is in fundamentals, and lays a blasphemous charge on the Holy Ghost, as if he had written the Scriptures, upon an intention that we should have no assured and fixed knowledge, no faith but a mere probable opinion, a conjectural, dubious apprehension of truths, with a reserve to believe the contrary, as if the Lords purpose had been that we should all be Sceptics, and dye doubting: and how then can God in justice punish any man, for not believing and doing the will of our Master and Lord? If it be unpossible even by the light of the Spirit to know his will in whole (as some say) and in the most part (as others say) yea it must not be our sinful darkness in that we cannot believe most of the matters of God, but with a reserve, but it is the will and command of God we do so: and how shall we know the second faith contradictory to the former to be the mind of God; and not the first, and the third, and not the second, and the fourth; and not the third, and so to the end? since we are to believe all the four with a reserve, and all to our dying day with a reserve for the word is alike dubious now as in Pauls days: and since the Apostles charge us to believe and be comforted in believing the truths which they believed, not as Apostles, but as Christians, and as fellow-Citizens with us, we must say that the Apostles also believed with a reserve, which is blasphemous.

9. It argues the word of God, of obscurity and darknesse, as not being able to instruct us in all truths, and renders it as a nose of wax in all non-fundamentals, histories, narrations, &c. in which notwithstanding the Scripture is as evident, plaine, simple, obvious to the lowest capacities in most points, except some few Prophesies, as it is in fundamentalls, and layes a blasphemous charge on the Holy Ghost, as if hee had written the Scriptures, upon an intention that we should have no assured and fixed knowledge, no faith but a meere probable opinion, a conjecturall, dubious apprehension of truths, with a reserve to beleeve the contrary, as if the Lords purpose had beene that we should all be Scepticks, and dye doubting: and how then can God in justice punish any man, for not beleeving and doing the will of our Master and Lord? If it bee unpossible even by the light of the Spirit to know his will in whole (as some say) and in the most part (as others say) yea it must not be our sinfull darkenesse in that wee cannot beleeve most of the matters of God, but with a reserve, but it is the will and command of God we doe so: and how shall we know the second faith contradictory to the former to be the minde of God; and not the first, and the third, and not the second, and the fourth; and not the third, and so to the end? since we are to beleeve all the foure with a reserve, and all to our dying day with a reserve for the word is alike dubious now as in Pauls dayes: and since the Apostles charge us to beleeve and be comforted in beleeving the truths which they beleeved, not as Apostles, but as Christians, and as fellow-Citizens with us, we must say that the Apostles also beleeved with a reserve, which is blasphemous.