A95413:144
The doubting conscience resolved. In answer to a (pretended) perplexing question, &c. Wherein is…
The doubting conscience resolved. In answer to a (pretended) perplexing question, &c. Wherein is evidently proved, that the holy Scriptures (not the pope) is the foundation whereupon the Church is built. Or, That a Christian may be infallibly certain of his faith and religion by holy Scriptures. By William Twice D.D. Prolocutor of the Assembly of Divines. Written at the desire of Samuel Hartlib, Esquire, for the satisfaction of his friends beyond the seas; and now divulged in print for more public edification.The doubting conscience resolved. In answer to a (pretended) perplexing question, &c. Wherein is evidently proved, that the holy Scriptures (not the pope) is the foundation whereupon the Church is built. Or, That a Christian may be infallibly certain of his faith and religion by holy Scriptures. By William Tvvisse D.D. Prolocutor of the Assembly of Divines. Written at the desire of Samuel Hartlib, Esquire, for the satisfaction of his friends beyond the seas; and now divulged in print for more publick edification.
London: printed for Thomas Matthews, 1652
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
And if Controversies be left to learned men, yet there is no cause why our Religion should, but only the defence of it controversially, maintaining it by variety of Arguments and deductions out of holy Scripture, and solving contrary Arguments brought against it in any particular point of Faith; but the profession of it surely shall belong to him that sits at Gamaliel's feet, as well as to Gamaliel himself, ⟨p. 114⟩nor only to such as sit at his feet, but to such also as follow the plowtail, yea, and to the weaker sex of women, and to children too; for even to such belongeth the Kingdom of God. And were there no book at all written, or Sermon preached in any point of Controversies or difference between us, yet Papists should be Papists still, and not Protestants, and Protestants should be Protestants still, and not Papists, and the Whore of Babylon should be the Whore of Babylon still, and no Spouse of Christ, and Antichrist a false Prophet still, and no true Prophet. For the faith and profession of a Papist makes him a Papist, whether he writes Controversies or no, the smallest part of them being able to perform the task; so the Protestants profession and protestation against the corruptions of the Church of Rome, makes him a Protestant, ⟨p. 115⟩tho' he never set pen to paper to contend for the Faith once given to the Saints; though this be a duty, I confess, but no common duty belonging unto all, but peculiarly appertaining to the man of God, able not only to exhort with wholesome doctrine, but also to convince them that say against it. For Articles of Faith and their profession of them, Lay-men have suffered with great constancy and patience, but not for controversies, though they have been ready to give a reason of their Faith to all that asked it, and witness a good confession of it, as our Saviour did before Pilate, as the Book of Acts and Monuments recordeth of them, and S. Paul of our blessed Saviour. Doctor Bergius is acknowledged to say as much, confessing the Controversies are not very necessary to salvation, which I interpret thus, not necessary to the being ⟨p. 116⟩of the Church, but only to her well-being, when the Christian Faith is oppugned by Heretics: Between Lutherans and Calvinists we acknowledge there is no difference in fundamentals, as appeareth sufficiently at the Conference at Leipzig.