no man for his now or at any time being called a Presbyter or Elder can pretend to it for besides his being a Presbyter he must be an Apostle too else though he be called in partem sollicitudinis and may do the office of assistance and under-stewardship yet the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Government and Rule of the Family belongs not to him But then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who are these Stewards and Rulers over the houshold now To this the answer is also certain and easie Christ hath made the same Governors to day as heretofore Apostles still For though the twelve Apostles are dead yet the Apostolical order is not it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a generative order and begets more Apostles Now who these minores Apostoli are the successors of the Apostles in that Office Apostolical and supream regiment of souls we are sufficiently taught in Holy Scriptures which when I have clearly shewn to you I shall pass on to some more practical considerations 1. Therefore Certain and known it is that Christ appointed two sorts of Ecclesiastick persons XII Apostles and the LXXII Disciples to these he gave a limited commission to those a fulness of power to these a temporary imployment to those a perpetual and everlasting from these two societies founded by Christ the whole Church of God derives the two superiour orders in the sacred Hierarchy and as Bishops do not claim a Divine right but by succession from the Apostles so the Presbyters cannot pretend to have been instituted by Christ but by claiming a succession to the LXXII And then consider the difference compare the Tables and all the world will see the advantages of argument we have for since the LXXII had nothing but a mission on a temporary errand and more then that we hear nothing of them in Scripture but upon the Apostles Christ powred all the Ecclesiastical power and made them the ordinary Ministers of that Spirit which was to abide with the Church for ever the Divine institution of Bishops that is of Successors to the Apostles is much more clear then that Christ appointed Presbyters or Successors of the LXXII And yet if from hence they do not derive it they can never prove their order to be of Divine institution at all much less to be so alone But we may see the very thing it self the very matter of fact S. James the Bishop of Jerusalem is by S. Paul called an Apostle Other Apostles saw I none save James the Lords Brother For there were some whom the Scriptures call the Apostles of our Lord that is such which Christ made by his Word immediately or by his Spirit extraordinarily and even into this number and title Matthias and S. Paul and Barnabas were accounted But the Church also made Apostles and these were called by S. Paul 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Apostles of the Churches and particularly Epaphroditus was the Apostle of the Philippians properly so faith Primasius and what is this else but the Bishop saith Theodoret for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 those who are now called Bishops were then called Apostles saith the same Father The sense and full meaning of which argument is a perfect commentary upon that famous prophecy of the Church Instead of thy Fathers thou shalt have children whom thou mayst make Princes in all Lands that is not only the twelve Apostles our Fathers in Christ who first begat us were to rule Christs Family but when they were gone their Children and Successors should arise in their stead Et nati natorum qui nascentur ab illis their direct Successors to all generations shall be Principes populi that is Rulers and Governours of the whole Catholick Church De prole enim Ecclesiae crevit eidem paternita◠id est Episcopi quos illa genuit Patres appellat constituit in sedibus Patrum saith S. Austin the Children of the Church become Fathers of the faithful that is the Church begets Bishops and places them in the seat of Fathers the first Apostles After these plain and evident testimonies of Scripture it will not be amiss to say that this great affair relying not only upon the words of institution but on matter of fact passed forth into a demonstration and greatest notoriety by the Doctrine and Practice of the whole Catholick Church For so S. Irenaeus who was one of the most Ancient Fathers of the Church and might easily make good his affirmative We can says he reckon the men who by the Apostles were appointed Bishops in Churches to be their Successors unto us leaving to them the same power and authority which they had Thus S. Polycarp was by the Apostles made Bishop of Smyrna S. Clement Bishop of Rome by S. Peter and divers others by the Apostles saith Tertullian saying also that the Asian Bishops were consecrated by S. John And to be short that Bishops are the Successors of the Apostles in the Stewardship and Rule of the Church is expresly taught by S. Cyprian and S. Hierom S. Ambrose and S. Austin by Euthymius and Pacianus by S. Gregory and S. John Damascen by Clarius à Muscula and S. Sixtus by Anacletus and S. Isidore by the Roman Councel under S. Sylvester and the Councel of Carthage and the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or succession of Bishops from the Apostles hands in all the Churches Apostolical was as certainly known as in our Chronicles we find the succession of our English Kings and one can no more be denyed then the other The conclusion from these Premises I give you in the words of S. Cyprian Cogitent Diaconi quod Apostolos id est Episcopos Dominus ipse elegerit Let the Ministers know that Apostles that is the Bishops were chosen by our blessed Lord himself and this was so evident and so believed that S. Austin affirms it with a nemo ignorat No man is so ignorant but he knows this that our blessed Saviour appointed Bishops over Churches Indeed the Gnosticks spake evil of this Order for they are noted by three Apostles S. Paul S. Peter and S. Jude to be despisers of Government and to speak evil of Dignities and what Government it was they did so despise we may understand by the words of S. Jude they were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the contradiction or gainsaying of Corah who with his company rose up against Aaron the High Priest and excepting these who were the vilest of men no man within the first 300 years after Christ opposed Episcopacy But when Constantine received the Church into his arms he found it universally governed by Bishops and therefore no wise or good man professing to be a Christian that is to believe the Holy Catholick Church can be content to quit the Apostolical Government that by which the whole Family of God was fed and taught and ruled and beget to himself new Fathers and new Apostles who by wanting succession from the Apostles
are to be reliev'd in equity or there is a secret dispensation and it does not bind in my particular case or not now or it is but the law of a man and was made for a certain end or it does not bind the conscience but 't was only for Political regards or if the worst happen I will obey passively and then I am innocent Thus every man snuffs up the wind like the wild Asses in the Wilderness and thinks that Authority is an incroachment upon a mans birth-right and in the mean time never considers that Christ took upon him our Nature that he might learn us obedience and in that also make us become like unto God In his Justice and his Mercy he was imitable before but before the Incarnation of Christ we could not in passive graces imitate God who was impassible but he was pleased at a great rate to set forward this duty and when himself became obedient in the hardest point obediens usque ad mortem and is now become to us the Author and Finisher of our Obedience as well as of our Faith admonetur omnis aetas fieri posse quod aliquando factum est We must needs confess it very possible to obey the severest of the Divine Laws even to dye if God commands because it was already done by a man and we must needs confess it excellent because it was done by God himself But this great Example is of universal influence in the whole matter of Obedience For that I may speak of that part of this Duty which can be useful and concerns us Men do not deny but they must obey in all Civil things but in Religion they have a Supreme God only and Conscience is his interpreter and in effect every man must be the Judge whether he shall obey or no. Therefore it is that I say the example of our Lord is the great determination of this inquiry for he did obey and suffer according to the commands of his Superiors under whose Government he was placed he gave his back to the smiters and his cheeks to the nippers he kept the Orders of the Rulers and the Customs of the Synagogues the Law of Moses and the Rites of the Temple and by so doing he fulfilled all righteousness Christ made no distinctions in his Obedience but obeyed God in all things and those that God set over him in all things according to God and in things of Religion most of all because to obey was of it self a great instance of Religion and if ever Religion comes to be pretended against Obedience in any thing where our Superior can command it is imposture For that is the purpose of my Text Obedience is better than Sacrifice Our own judgment our own opinion is the Sacrifice seldom fit to be offered to God but most commonly deserving to be consumed by fire but take it at the best it is not half so good as Obedience for that was indeed Christ's Sacrifice and as David said of Goliah's sword non est alter talis there is no other Sacrifice that can be half so good and when Abraham had lifted up his sacrificing knife to slay his Son and so expressed his obedience God would have no more he had the Obedience and he cared not for the Sacrifice By Sacrifice here then is meant the external and contingent actions of Religion by Obedience is meant submission to Authority and observing the command Obedience is a not chusing our Duty a not disputing with our Betters not to argue not to delay not to murmur it is not this but it is much better for it is Love and Simplicity and Humility and Vsefulness and I think these do reductively contain all that is excellent in the whole conjugation of Christian Graces My Text is a perfect Proposition and hath no special remark in the words of it but is only a great representation of the most useful Truth to all Kingdoms and Parliaments and Councels and Authorities in the whole world It is your Charter and the Sanction of your Authority and the Stabiliment of your Peace and the Honour of your Laws and the great defence of your Religion and the building up and the guarding of the Kings Throne It is that by which all the Societies in Heaven and Earth are firm without this you cannot have a Village prosperous or a Ship arrive in Harbour It is that which God hath bound upon us by hope and fear by wrath and conscience by duty and necessity Obedience is the formality of all Vertues and every sin is Disobedience There can no greater thing be said unless you please to add that we never read that the earth opened and swallowed up any man alive but a company of rebellious disobedient people who rose up against Moses and Aaron the Prince of the People and the Priest of God For Obedience is the most necessary thing in the world and corruptio optimi est pessima Disobedience is the greatest evil in the world and that alone which can destroy it My Text is instanced in the matter of Obedience to God but yet the case is so that though I shall in the first place discourse of our Obedience to man I shall not set one foot aside from the main intention of it because Obedience to our Superiours is really and is accounted to be Obedience to God for they are sent by God they are his Vicegerents his Ministers and his Embassadors Apostolus cujusque est quisque say the Jews Every mans Apostle is himself and he that heareth or despiseth you said Christ heareth or despiseth me And the reason is very evident because it is not to be expected that God should speak to us by himself but sometimes by Angels sometimes by Prophets once by his Son and alwaies by his Servants Now I desire two things to be observed First We may as well perceive that God speaks to us when he uses the ministry of men as when he uses the ministry of Angels one is as much declared and as certain as the other And if it be said a man may pretend to come from God and yet deliver nothing but his own errand that is no strange thing but remember also that S. Paul puts this supposition in the case of an Angel If an Angel preach any other Gospel and we know that many Angels come like Angels of light who yet teach nothing but the waies of Darkness So that we are still as much bound to obey our Superior as to obey an Angel a man is paulò minor angelis a little lower than the Angels but we are much lower than the King Consider then with what fear and love we should receive an Angel and so let us receive all those whom God hath sent to us and set over us for they are no less less indeed in their Persons but not in their Authorities Nay the case is nearer yet for we are not only bound to receive God's Deputies as God's
Angel but as God himself For it is the power of God in the hand of a man and he that resists resists God's Ordinance And I pray remember that there is not only no power greater than God's but there is no other for all Power is his The consequent of this is plain enough I need say no more of it It is all one to us who commands God or God's Vicegerent This was the first thing to be observed Secondly there can be but two things in the world required to make Obedience necessary the greatness of the Authority and the worthiness of the Thing In the first you see the case can have no difference because the thing it self is but one There is but one Authority in the world and that is God's as there is but one Sun whose light is diffused into all Kingdoms But is there not great difference in the Thing commanded Yes certainly there is some but nothing to warrant disobedience for whatever the thing be it may be commanded by man if it be not countermanded by God For 1. It is not required that every thing commanded should of it self be necessary for God himself oftentimes commands things which have in them no other excellency than that of Obedience What made Abraham the friend of God and what made his offer to kill his Son to be so pleasing to God It had been naturally no very great good to cut the throat of a little child but only that it was Obedience What excellency was there in the journeys of the Patriarchs from Mesopotamia to Syria from the Land of Canaan into Aegypt and what thanks could the sons of Israel deserve that they sate still upon the seventh day of the week and how can a man be dearer unto God by keeping of a Feast or building of a Booth or going to Jerusalem or cutting off the foreskin of a Boy or washing their hands and garments in fair water There was nothing in these things but the Obedience And when our blessed Lord himself came to his Servant to take of him the Baptism of Repentance alas he could take nothing but the water and the ceremony for as Tertullian observes he was nullius poenitentiae debitor he was indeed a just person and needed no repentance but even so it became him to fulfil all righteousness but yet even then it was that the Holy Spirit did descend upon his holy head and crowned that Obedience though it were but a Ceremony Obedience you see may be necessary when the Law is not so For in these cases God's Son and God's Servants did obey in things which were made good only by the Commandment and if we do so in the Instances of humane Laws there is nothing to be said against it but that what was not of it self necessary is made so by the Authority of the Commander and the force of the Commandment But there is more in it than so For 2. We pretend to be willing to obey even in things naturally not necessary if a divine command does interpose but if it be only a commandment of man and the thing be not necessary of it self then we desire to be excused But will we do nothing else We our selves will do many things that God hath not commanded and may not our Superiors command us in many cases to do what we may lawfully do without a commandment Can we become a Law unto our selves and cannot the word and power of our Superiors also become a Law unto us hath God given more to a private than to a publick hand But consider the ill consequents of this fond opinion Are all the practices of Geneva or Scotland recorded in the word of God are the triffling Ceremonies of their publick Penance recorded in the four Gospels are all the rules of decency and all things that are of good report and all the measures of Prudence and the laws of peace and War and the Customs of the Churches of God and the lines of publick honesty are all these described to us by the Laws of God If they be let us see and read them that we may have an end to all questions and minute cases of Conscience but if they be not and yet by the Word of God these are bound upon us in general and no otherwise then it follows that the particulars of all these which may be infinite and are innumerable yet may be the matter of humane Laws and then are bound upon us by the power of God put into the hands of man The consequent is this that whatsoever is commanded by our Superiors according to the will of God or whatsoever is not against it is of necessity to be obeyed 3. But what if our Princes or our Prelates command things against the Word of God what then Why nothing then but that we must obey God and not man there 's no dispute of that But what then again Why therefore sayes the Papist I will not obey the Protestant Kings because against the Word of God they command me to come to Church where Heresie is preached and I will not acknowledge the Bishops saith the Presbyterian because they are against the Discipline and Scepter of Jesus Christ and the Independent hates Parochial meetings and is wholly for a gathered Church and supposes this to be the practice Apostolical and I will not bring my Child to Baptism saith the Anabaptist because God calls none but Believers to that Sacrament and I will acknowledge no Clergy no Lord no Master saith the Quaker because Christ commands us to call no man Master on the earth and be not called of men Rabbi And if you call upon these men to obey the Authority God had set over them they tell you with one voice with all their hearts as far as the Word of God will give them leave but God is to be obeyed and not man and therefore if you put the Laws in execution against them they will obey you passively because you are stronger and so long as they know it they will not stir against you but they in the mean time are little less than Martyrs and you no better than Persecutors What shall we do now for here is evidently a great heap of disorder they all confess that Authority must be obeyed but when you come to the tryal none of them all will do it and they think they are not bound but because their Opinions being contrary cannot all be right and it may be none of them are it is certain that all this while Authority is infinitely wronged and prejudiced amongst them when all phantastick Opinions shall be accounted a sufficient reason to despise it I hope the Presbyterian will join with the Protestant and say that the Papist and the Socinian and the Independent and the Anabaptist and the Quaker are guilty of Rebellion and Disobedience for all their pretence of the Word of God to be on their side and I am more sure that all these will join
with the Protestant and say that the Presbyterian hath no reason to disobey Authority upon pretence of their new Government concerning which they do but dream dreams when they think they see visions Certain it is that the biggest part of dissenters in the whole world are criminally disobedient and it is a thousand to one but that Authority is in the right against them and ought to be obeyed It remains now in the next place that we enquire what Authority is to do in this case and what these Sectaries and Recusants are to do for these are two things worth enquiry 1. Concerning Authority All disagreeing persons to cover their foul shame of Rebellion or Disobedience pretend Conscience for their Judge and the Scripture for their Law Now if these men think that by this means they proceed safely upon the same ground the Superior may do what he thinks to be his duty and be at least as safe as they If the Rebellious Subject can think that by God's Law he ought not to obey the Prince may at the same time think that by God's Law he ought to punish him and it is as certain that he is justly punished as he thinks it certain he reasonably disobeys Or is the Conscience of the Superior bound to relax his Laws if the Inferior tells him so Can the Prince give Laws to the peoples will and can the people give measures to the Princes understanding If any one of the people can prescribe or make it necessary to change the Law then every one can and by this time every new Opinion will introduce a new Law and that Law shall be obeyed by him only that hath a mind to it and that will be a strange Law that binds a man only to do his own pleasure But because the King's Conscience is to him as sure a Rule as the Conscience of any disobedient Subject can be to himself the Prince is as much bound to do his duty in Government as the other can be to follow his Conscience in disagreeing and the consequent will be that whether the Subject be right or wrong in the disputation it is certain he hath the just reward of Disobedience in the conclusion If one mans Conscience can be the measure of another mans action why shall not the Princes Conscience be the Subjects measure but if it cannot then the Prince is not to depart from his own Conscience but proceed according to the Laws which he judges just and reasonable 2. The Superior is tied by the Laws of Christian Charity so far to bend in the ministration of his Laws as to pity the invincible Ignorance and Weakness of his abused people qui devoratur à malis Pastoribus as Hierom's expression is that are devour'd by their evil Shepherds but this is to last no longer than till the Ignorance can be cured and the man be taught his duty for whatsoever comes after this looks so like Obstinacy that no Laws in the world judge it to be any thing else And then secondly this also is to be understood to be the duty of Superiors only in matters of mere Opinion not relating to Practice For no mans Opinion must be suffer'd to do mischief to disturb the peace to dishonour the Government not only because every disagreeing person can to serve his end pretend his Conscience and so claim impunity for his Villany but also because those things which concern the good of mankind and the Peace of Kingdoms are so plainly taught that no man who thinks himself so wise as to be fit to oppose Authority can be so foolish as in these things not to know his duty In other things if the Opinion does neither bite nor scratch if it dwells at home in the house of Understanding and wanders not into the out-houses of Passion and popular Orations the Superior imposes no Laws and exacts no Obedience and destroyes no Liberty and gives no Restraint This is the part of Authority 2. The next enquiry is What must the dis-agreeing Subject do when he supposes the Superiors command is against the Law of God I answer that if he thinks so and thinks true he must not obey his Superior in that but because most men that think so think amiss there are many particulars fit by such persons to be considered 1. Let such men think charitably of others and that all are not fools or mad-men who are not of the same Opinion with themselves or their own little party 2. Let him think himself as fallible and subject to mistake as other men are 3. But let him by no means think that every Opinion of his is an Inspiration from God for that is the pride and madness of a pretended Religion such a man is to be cured by Physick for he could not enter into that perswasion by Reason or Experience and therefore it must enter into him by folly or the anger of God 4. From hence it will naturally follow that he ought to think his Opinion to be uncertain and that he ought not to behave himself like the man that is too confident but because his Obedience is Duty and his Duty certain he will find it more wise and safe and holy to leave that which is disputable and pursue that which is demonstrable to change his uncertain Opinion for his certain Duty For it is twenty to one but he is deceived in his Opinion but if he be it is certain that whatsoever his Conscience be yet in his separation from Authority he is a sinner 2. Every man who by his Opinion is engaged against Authority should do well to study his doubtful Opinion less and Humility and Obedience more But you say that this concerns not me for my disagreeing is not in a doubtful matter but I am sure I am in the right there are no ifs and ands in my case Well it may be so but were it not better that you did doubt A wise man feareth saith Solomon and departeth from evil but a fool rageth and is confident and the difference between a Learned man and a Novice is this that the young fellow cryeth out I am sure it is so the better learned answers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 possibly it may and peradventure it is so but I pray enquire and he is the best Diviner 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he is the best Judge that conjectures best not he that is most confident for as Xenophanes said wisely Man does but conjecture but God only knows and it is no disparagement to a wise man to learn and by suspecting the fallibility of things and his own aptness to mistake to walk prudently and safely with an eye to God and an ear open to his Superior Some men are drunk with Phancy and mad with Opinion Who believe more strongly than boyes and women who are so hard to be perswaded as fools and who so readily suspect their Teachers as they who are governed by chance and know not the intrinsick measures
there is no further certainty in them than what the one fancies and the other is pleas'd to allow But if the spiritual sense be prov'd evident and certain then it is of the same efficacy as the literal for it is according to that letter by which Gods Holy Spirit was pleas'd to signifie his meaning and it matters not how he is pleas'd to speak so we understand his meaning and in this sense that is true which is affirm'd by S. Gregory Allegoriam interdum aedificare fidem sometimes our faith is built up by the mystical words of the Spirit of God But because it seldom happens that they can be prov'd g. you are not to feed your flocks with such herbs whose virtue you know not of whose wholesomness or powers of nourishing you are wholly or for the most part ignorant we have seen and felt the mischief and sometimes derided the absurdity God created the Sun and the Moon said Moses that is said the extravagants of Pope Boniface the 8th the Pope and the Emperour And Behold here are two swords said S. Peter It is enough said Christ enough for S. Peter and so he got the two swords the temporal and spiritual said the gloss upon that Text. Of these things there is no beginning and no end no certain principles and no good conclusion These are the two ways of expounding all Scriptures these are as the two witnesses of God by the first of which he does most commonly and by the latter of which he does sometimes declare his meaning and in the discovery of these meanings the Measures which I have now given you are the general land-marks and are sufficient to guide us from destructive errours It follows in the next place that I give you some Rules that are more particular according to my undertaking that you in your duty and your charges in the provisions to be made for them may be more secure 1. Although you are to teach your people nothing but what is the Word of God yet by this Word I understand all that God spake expresly and all that by certain consequence can be deduced from it Thus Dionysius Alexandrinus argues 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he that in Scripture is called the Son and the Word of the Father I conclude he is no stranger to the essence of the Father And S. Ambrose derided them that called for express Scripture for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 since the Prophets and the Gospels acknowledge the unity of substance in the Father and the Son and we easily conclude the Holy Ghost to be God because we call upon him and we call upon him because we believe in him and we believe in him because we are baptized into the faith and profession of the Holy Ghost This way of teaching our Blessed Saviour us'd when he confuted the Sadduces in the Question of the Resurrection and thus he confuted the Pharisees in the Question of his being the Son of God The use I make of it is this that right reason is so far from being an exile from the inquiries of Religion that it is the great ensurance of many propositions of faith and we have seen the faith of men strangely alter but the reason of man can never alter every rational truth supposing its principles being eternal and unchangeable All that is to be done here is to see that you argue well that your deduction be evident that your reason be right for Scripture is to our understandings as the grace of God to our wills that instructs our reason and this helps our wills and we may as well chuse the things of God without our wills and delight in them without love as understand the Scriptures or make use of them without reason Quest. But how shall our reason be guided that it may be right that it be not a blind guide but direct us to the place where the star appears and point us to the very house where the babe lieth that we may indeed do as the wise men did To this I answer 2. In the making deductions the first great measure to direct our reason and our inquiries is the analogy of faith that is let the fundamentals of faith be your Cynosura your great light to walk by and whatever you derive from thence let it be agreeable to the principles from whence they come It is the rule of S. Paul 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let him that prophesies do it according to the proportion of faith that is let him teach nothing but what is revealed or agreeable to the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the prime credibilities of Christianity that is by the plain words of Scripture let him expound the less plain and the superstructure by the measures of the foundation and doctrines be answerable to faith and speculations relating to practice and nothing taught as simply necessary to be believed but what is evidently and plainly set down in the holy Scriptures for he that calls a proposition necessary which the Apostles did not declare to be so or which they did not teach to all Christians learned and unlearned he is gone beyond his proportions For every thing is to be kept in that order where God hath plac'd it there is a classis of necessary Articles and that is the Apostles Creed which Tertullian calls regulam fidei the rule of faith and according to this we must teach necessities but what comes after this is not so necessary and he that puts upon his own doctrines a weight equal to this of the Apostles declaration either must have an Apostolical authority and an Apostolical infallibility or else he transgresses the proportion of faith and becomes a false Apostle 3. To this purpose it is necessary that you be very diligent in reading laborious and assiduous in the studies of Scripture not only lest ye be blind seers and blind guides but because without great skill and learning ye cannot do your duty A Minister may as well sin by his ignorance as by his negligence because when light springs from so many angles that may enlighten us unless we look round about us and be skill'd in all the angles of reflection we shall but turn our backs upon the Sun and see nothing but our own shadows Search the Scriptures said Christ Non dixit legite sed scrutamini said S. Chrysostome quia oportet profundius effodere ut quae altè delitescunt invenire possimus Christ did not say read but search the Scriptures turn over every page inquire narrowly look diligently converse with them perpetually be mighty in the Scriptures for that which is plain there is the best measures of our faith and of our doctrines The Jews have a saying Qui non advertit quod supra infra in Scriptoribus legitur is pervertit verba Dei viventis He that will understand Gods meaning must look above and below and round about for the meaning of the Spirit of God is not like the wind