he followeth it for the most part and preferreth it before all the rest Maxima ex parte amplector caeteris omnibus antepono He speaks of the New Testament onely and of that Latine Translation of the New Testament in comparison of all other Latine Translations which were before him as Erasmus Castalion and such like These places may serve to shew that the vulgar Latine is corrupt no Book being entire or free from error Isidore Clarius Brixianus praefat in Biblia a great learned man of their own affirmeth That it hath 8000 places in which the sense of the Holy Ghost is changed Since the Councel of Trent two Popes have set forth this vulgar Edition diversly which of these shall be received as authentical How often do the Papists leave the vulgar in all their controversies when it is for their advantage so to do it is a matter ordinary with them and needless to be proved There is no Edition Ancienter then the Hebrew if the Latine hath been used a 1000 years in the Church the Hebrew hath been used almost 3000 years the Chaldee Arabick Syriack and Greek Editions also have been used above a 1000 years and so should be authentique by the Papists Argument Having spoken of the authority of the Scriptures the Canonical Books and the authentical Editions I now go on to treat of the end of the Scripture its adjuncts or properties fitted to that end and Interpretation of Scripture The end of the Scripture comes next to be considered of this I have spoken somewhat afore but shall now inlarge my self The end of the Scripture is considered 1. In respect of God 2. In respect of us In respect of God the end of the Scripture is a glorifying of him Iohn 7. 18. 2 Cor. 4. 6. by it we may learn to know love and fear him and so be blessed The glory of God is the chief end of all things Prov. 16. 4. In respect of us The end of the Scripture is 1. Intermediate Temporal Edification which is fitly referred to five principal uses The two first respect the minde the other three the heart will and affections It is profitable for Doctrine it serves to direct to all saving truth nothing is to be received as a truth necessary to salvation but what is proved out of Scripture Where that hath not a tongue to speak I must not have an ear to hear Hoc quia de scripturis non habet autoritatem eadem facilitate contemnitur qua probatur Hieron 2. Reproof or Confutation to refute all errors and heterodox opinions in Divinity By this sword of the Spirit Christ vanquished Satan Mat. 4. 4. 7. 10. by the Scripture he opposed the Jews Iohn 5. 45. 46. 47. 10. 34. by this he refuted the Scribes and Pharisees Mat. 9. 13. and 22. 1. Luke 10. 25 26. 27. Matth. 19. 34. and 21. 12 13. the Sadduces Matth. 22. 29. Thus Apollus convinced the Jews who denied Jesus to be the Christ Acts 18. 28. Thus the Apostles convinced those which urged Circumcision and the observation of the Jewish Law Acts 15. 15. Hâ—reticks are to be stoned with Scripture-Arguments Lapidandi sunt Heretici sacrarum literarum argumentis Athanasius By this Austin refuted the Pelagians Irenaeus the Ualentinians Tertullian the Mareionites Athanasius the Arrians 3. Correction of iniquity setting straight that which is amiss in manners and life 4. Instruction to righteousness Instruunt Patriarchae etiam errantes Basil saith The Psalms are a common Store house and Treasury of good Instruction The Title of the 32 and some other Psalms is Maschil that is A Psalm of Instruction 5. Comfort in all troubles Psal. 19. 8. and 119. 50. and 92. the Greek word for Gospel signifieth glad-tidings The Promises are the Christians best Cordials as Gods Promises are the rule of what we must pray for in faith so they are the ground of what we must expect in comfort All things which belong to the Gospel are comfortable 1. God the Author of the Gospel and revealed in it is the God of all comfort 2 Cor. 1. 3. 2. Jesus Christ the Subject of the Gospel is called Consolation in the abstract Luke 2. 25. 3. The Holy Ghost which breathes in the Gospel is called The Comforter Iohn Chap. 15. 16. 4. The Ministers or Ambassadors of the Gospel are the Messengers of peace and comfort 2. Ultimate and chiefest our Salvation and Life eternal Iohn 5. 39. and 20. 31. 2 Tim. 3. 15. It will shew us the right way of escaping hell and attaining Heaven It will shew us what to believe and practise for our present and eternal happinesse This was Gods aim in causing the Scripture to be written and we shall finde it fully available and effectual for the ends for which it was ordained by God CHAP. VIII Of the Properties of the Scripture THe properties which the Scripture must have for the former end are these It is 1. Of Divine Authority 2. True and Certain 3. The rule of Faith and Manners 4. Necessâ—ry 5. Pure and Holy 6. Sufficient and Perfect 7. Perspicuous and Plain 1. It s of Divine Authority we must believe it for its own sake It is Divine 1. In its Efficient cause and Original which is God the Father dictating in his Son declaring and publishing by his holy Spirit confirming and sealing it in the hearts of the faithful He wrote the Decalogue immediately with his own finger and commanded the whole Systeme and all the parts of Scripture to be written by his servants the Prophets and Apostles as the publique Actuaries and Pen-men thereof therefore the authority of the Scripture is as great as that of the Holy Ghost who did dictate both the matter and words Those speeches are frequent The Lord said and The mouth of the Lord hath spoken 2. In the subject matter which is truth according to godliness certain powerful of venerable antiquity joyned with a sensible demonstration of the Spirit and Divine presence and with many other things attesting its Divine Authority Whence it follows that the Authority of the Holy Scriptures is 1. Infallible which expresseth the minde and will of God to whom truth is essential and necessary 2. Supreme and Independent into which at last all faith is resolved from which it is not lawful to appeal By which singular authority the Scripture is distinguished both from all prophane and Sacred writings and Paul honors it with this Elogie A faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation 1 Tim. 1. 15. A more sure word 2 Pet. 1. 19. the Comparative for the Superlative in which there is no doubting and uncertainty but all things firm As God is Iehovah of himself so is his word Authoritative of it self and is true and to be obeyed whether thou think it Scripture or no. There is no higher authority for thee to appeal to it is above opinions of men conscience and therefore it must
when ye become men ye must put away these childish things Blow at the Root p. 82 83. The expresse testimonies of Scripture forbidding even Angels to adde any thing to those things which are commanded by the Lord do prove the perfection of the Scripture Deut. 4. 5 12. and 12. 32. and 30. 10. and 5. 12 13 14. and 28. 58. Ioshua 1. 7 8. Prov. 30. 5. wherefore the Apostle commands That no man presume above that which is written 1 Cor. 4. 6. 2 Tim. 3. 15 16. Divers reasons may be drawn from this last place to prove the perfection of the Scripture 1. The Apostle teacheth That the Scriptures are able to make a man wise to salvation therefore there needeth no further counsel nor direction thereunto but out of the Scriptures 2. The Scriptures are able to make the man of God that is the Minister of the Word perfect and compleat unto every work of his Ministery whether it be by teaching true Doctrine or confuting false by exhorting and putting forward to that which is good or dehorting from that which is evil Paul would not have us think that all and every writing viz. of Plato Aristotle is divinely inspired for in ver 15. he not only useth the plural number calling them the holy writings thereby to note the word of God and not one sentence or Book but all the sentences and Books of the Scripture and also useth the Article which hath force of an universal note therefore the Greek words the whole Scripture signifieth the whole altogether and not every part severally in this place 2. No one part of holy Scripture is able to make the Minister perfect therefore it must needs be understood of the whole body of holy Scripture wherein this sufficiency is to be found The Ancient Fathers and other Divines have from this place proved the perfection and sufficiency of the Scripture in all things necessary to salvation We do not reason thus as the Papists charge us it is profitable therefore it is sufficient but because 1. The Scripture is profitable for all these ends viz. to teach sound Doctrine to refute false opinions to instruct in holy life and correct ill manners therefore it is sufficient or it is profitable to all those functions of the Ministery that a Minister of the Church may be perfect therefore much more for the people Argumentum non nititur unica illa voce utilis sed toto sententiae complexu Chamierus Hitherto of the perfection of the Scripture absolutely considered now follows the sufficiency thereof in opposition to unwritten traditions or verities as the Papists speak D Davenant premiseth these things for the better understanding of the sufficiency of the Scripture 1. We speak of the state of the Church saith he in which God hath ceased to speak to men by the Prophets or Apostles divinely inspired and to lay open new Revelations to his Church 2. We grant that the Apostles living and preaching and the Canon of the New Testament being not yet sealed their Gospel delivered Viva Voce was no lesse a rule of Faith and Worship then the writings of Moses and the Prophets 3. We do not reject all the traditions of the Church for we embrace certain Historical and Ceremonial ones but we deny that opinions of faith or precepts of worship can be confirmed by unwritten traditions 4. We call that an opinion of Faith to speak properly and strictly when a Proposition is revealed by God which exceeds the capacity of nature and is propounded to be believed as necessary to be known to Salvation Fundamentall opinions are those which by a usuall and proper name are called Articles of Faith 5. What is not in respect of the Matter an Article of Faith may be a Proposition to be believed with a Theological Faith if you look to the manner of revealing as that the Sun is a great light the Moon a lesse Gen. 1. 16. that Rachel was beautifull Leah blear-eyed The Papists do not cease to accuse the Scripture of imperfection and insufficiency as not containing all things necessary to salvation The Councel of Trent Sess. 4. decret 1. saith That the Truth and Discipline is contained in libris scriptis sine scripto traditionibus The Papists generally divide the word of God into the word written and traditions They affirm that there are many things belonging to Christian faith which are neither contained in the Scriptures openly nor secretly This opinion is maintained by the Papists but it was not first invented by them The Jewish Fathers did use the traditions of the Elders and it hath been said of old Mark 75. Matth. 5. 21. for their errors and superstitions yea at length they affirmed that God gave to Moses in Mount Sinai the Scripture and the Cabala or a double Law the one written the other unwritten The Tridentin Fathers Sâ—s 4. do command Traditions to be received with the same reverend affection and piety with which we imbrace the Scripture and because one Bishop in the Councel of Trent refused this he was excluded In the mean space they explain not what those Traditions are which must be so regarded none of them would ever give us a List and Catalogue of those Ordinances which are to be defended by the authority of unwritten Traditions not of the Word committed to writing onely they affirm in general whatsoever they teach or do which is not in the Scripture that it is to be put into the number of Traditions unwritten The cause of it self is manifest That at their pleasure they might thrust what they would upon the Church under the name of Traditions Vide Whitak de Script contro Quaest. 6. c. 5. See also Moulins Buckler of Faith p. 51. Lindan the Papist was not ashamed to say That it had been better for the Church if there had been no Scripture at all but onely Traditions For saith he we may do well enough with Traditions though we had no Scripture but could not do well enough with Scripture though we had no Traditions Baldwin saith a Testament may be either Scriptum or Nuncupativum set down in writing or uttered by word of mouth But a Nuncupative Testament or Will made by word of mouth without writing must be proved by solemn witnesses The solemn witnesses of Christs Testament are the Prophets and Apostles Let Papists if they can prove by them that part of the Testament of Christ is unwritten Any indifferent Reader will conceive that the Scriptures make most for them who stand most for their Authority and perfection as all the reformed Divines do not only affirming but also confirming that the Scripture is not only a most perfect but the onely infallible rule of faith Titus 1. 2. Rom. 3. 4. God cannot lie and Let God be true and every man a lier that is subject to errour and falshood Every Article of Divine Faith must have a certain and
Epithete The holy Scriptures Rom. 1. 2. 2 Tim. 3. 15. The Scriptures of the Prophets Rom. 16. 26. Some think that Enoch the seventh from Adam wrote but Iude 14. speaketh only of his prophesying which might rather be by word of mouth then writing because our Saviour citing Scripture ever gives the first place to Moses and undertaking by the Scriptures to prove himself to be the Messiah that he ought to suffeâ— began at Moses Luke 24. 27. No doubt if there had been any more ancient then Moses our Saviour would have alledged it because all the Scripture that was before him was to give testimony of him The Author of the Scriptures was God himself they came from him in a special and peculiar manner commonly called inspiration which is an act of Gods Spirit immediately imprinting or infusing those notions into their brains and those phrases and words by which the notions were uttered 2 Tim. 3. 16. All Scripture is given by Divine inspiration or by inspiration of God Prophecy came not of old time by the will of man but holy men of God spake as they were moved or carried by the Holy Ghost 2 Pet. 1. 21. They did not write these things of their own heads but the Spirit of God did move and work them to it and in it 2 Sam. 23. 2. The spirit of the Lord spake by me that is did immediately guide me and tell me what matter to utter and in what words Stephen saith they resisted the Holy Ghost when they did disobey the Scriptures The Holy Ghost by the mouth of David and the mouth of Isaiah spake Acts 1. 16. 4. 25. 28. 25. The Inscriptions of many Prophetical Books and Epistles Apostolical run thus The word of the Lord which come to Hosea Amos Ioel Paul Peter Iames a servant of God and an Apostle of Christ. The Proeme that is set before divers Prophecies is this Thus saith the Lord and the Prophets inculcate that speech The mouth of the Lord hath spoken it because they would take off the thoughts of the people from their own persons and lift them up to consideration of God the chief Author It is all one to say The Scripture saith Rom. 4. 3. 10. 11. 11. 2. Gal. 4. 30. 1 Tim. 5. 10. and God saith Rom. 9. 25. Heb. 4. 3. 8. 5. 13. 5. and the word Scripture is put for God speaking in the Scripture The Scripture saith to Pharaâ—h Rom. 9. 7. and The Scripture hath shut up all men under sin Galat. 3. 22. for which in another place God hath shut up Rom. 11. 32. All other disciplines were from God and every truth whosoever speaks it is from the Holy Ghost but the Scripture in a singular manner is attributed to the Holy Ghost he immediately dictated it to the Holy men of God The efficient principall cause then of the Scripture was God the ten Commandments of which most of the rest is an exposition were written after a secret and unutterable manner by God himself therefore they are called the writings of God Exod. 32. 16. Secondly all the rest which was written though men were the instruments was done by his appointment and assistance Exod. 17. 14. â—sai 8. 1. Ier. 30 2. The Scripture is often attributed to the Holy Ghost as the Author and no mention is made of the Pen-men Heb. 10. 15. The Prophets and Apostles were the Pen-men of the Scripture whose Calling Sending and Inspiration was certainly Divine for whatsoever they taught the Church of God or left in writing they learned not before in the Schools 1 Cor. 2. 13. The Divine Authority of the Word may be defined a certain dignity and excellency of the Scripture above all other sayings or writings whatsoever whereby it is perfectly true in word and sense it deserves credit in all sayings narrations of things past present and to come threatnings and promises and as superiour doth binde to obedience if it either forbid or command any thing 1 Tim. 1. 15. 2 Pet. 1. 19. Iohn 5. 39. Heb. 6. 18. Rom. 1. 5. 2 Cor. 10. 5 6. 13. 3. 12. 12. Gal. 1. 1 12 13. though the things in mans judgement seem unlike or incredible or the Commandments hard and foolish to the carnal minde Hereticks have laboured to prove their corrupt and damnable opinions out of the Scripture and have received some books if not all as Divine The Turks at this day so esteem the five books of Moses as they will kisse such patches of Paper as they finde having any part thereof written in the same Aristaeus an Heathen when he had determined to have disputed against Scripture confesseth that he was forbidden by God in a dream Plato is termed Moses Atticus Moses speaking Greek The holy Scripture in it self is Divine and Authentical though no man in the world should so acknowledge it as the Sun in it self were light though all the men in the world were blinde and could not or would not see it but in respect of us it is Divine and Authentical when it is acknowledged and esteemed so to be The Scripture is the word of God written by holy men as they were inspired by the holy Ghost divinely containing all Divine Truth necessary to salvation for the edification and instruction of Gods Church thereunto and for the glory of God The holy Scriptures are that Divine Instrument and means by which we are taught to believe what we ought touching God and our selves and all creatures and how to please God in all things unto eternal life Robins Essayes 8th Observ. Divines have given almost fourty several Arguments to prove the Scriptures to be the word of God That the Scriptures were from God may appear by several Reasons 1. Intrinsecal taken out of the Scriptures themselves 2. Extrinsecal acts of God and works of providence about them 1. Intrinsecal 1. From the excellency of their matter which is heavenly the divine and supernatural matter contained in it It telleth us of such things as do far exceed the reach of mans reason and which it was impossible for any man to counterfeit and feign and which being told are so correspondent to reason that no man can see just cause to call them into question as the Doctrine of Creation of all things in six dayes the Doctrine of the fall of our first Parents the Story of the Delivering Israel out of Aegypt of the Delivering of the Law and ten Commandments the Doctrine of the incarnation of Christ Jesus of the Resurrection of the dead of the last Judgement of the life to come and of the Immortality of the soul for though this last was taught also by Philosophers yet it is so doubtfully and unperfectly handled by them in comparison of the delivering thereof in Scripture that it is apparent it was another Spirit which guided the teachers of it here then they were guided withall What Angel
a Candlestick doth a Candle Revel 2. 1. 4. To interpret the Scripture by the Scripture Since many things in Scripture are doubtfull and hard to be understood without an Interpreter Acts 8. 31. it doth belong to the Church to expound the same to interpret and give the sense Nehem. 8. 8 9. Luke 24. 27. provided that this exposition be by the Scriptures Some of the Papists say That the Church may condere articulos fidei facere Canonicum quo ad nos and though they talk of Councels and Fathers yet all is as the Pope concludes The testimony and tradition of the Church especially the Primitive Church is necessary to know that the Gospel of Matthew is divine Scripture by an historical and acquired faith to know this by a divine and infused faith besides the Authority of the Church the matter character and contents of every Book and comparing of it with other Scriptures do serve as an inward cause to produce the said infused faith Object We are sent to the Church to determine all Controversies 1 Cor. 11. 16. Sol. Controversies are either Dogmaticall concerning Faith or Rituall concerning true Order The Proposition is about these not the first Secondly From this fundamental truth that the Scripture is immediately from God the Basis indeed of all Religion 1 Cor. 15. the wickednesse of the Church of Rome is farther to be condemned which will not suffer the Scriptures to be read in their Churches but in an unknown tongue nor in private by the common people without special leave and certain cautions from their superiours Of old they would not suffer them to be read at all of late they are forced to give licences to some and they teach them that they should not make the Scripture judge of the Doctrine and Practice of the Church but the Doctrine and Practice of the Church must be the Interpreter and Judge of the meaning of the Scripture that is they must take the Scripture to mean none otherwise whatsoever it seem to say then what is agreeâ—ble to that which the Pope doth teach and practise There cannot be a surer sign of a bad cause then that it fears to be tried by the writings which it self cannot deny to be written by God for correction for reproof for instruction in righteousnesse Some Papists are more modest herein as Bellarmine lib. 2. de verb. Dei c. 15. Catholica Ecclesia statuit ne passim omnibus concedatur Scripturae lectio some more rigid as Huntly and Hosius The Papists object the obscurity of Scriptures as an argument to hinder Lay-men from reading them and account it a matter of profanation to allow men women and children and all promiscuously the use of the Vulgar Translation and think they will rather be hurt then benefited by them taking occasion of erring from them Hosius urgeth that Give not holy things to dogs Cast not pearls before Swine to prove the people must be barred from reading of the Scriptures It is Pope Innocents Glosse a Beast might not touch the Mount a Lay-man may not meddle with Scripture Lindan saith Nihil noxae inferretur in Ecclesiam salvo traditionis fundamento if there were no Bible and another Scriptura citius faciet Haereticum Lutheranum quam Catholicum Because we will have all proved by Scripture and make that the compleat Rule for what we believe or do in all Theological matters they call us Scripturarios Scripture-men and Atramentrarios Theologos and so to carry or read a Bible is matter of scoff we may stile them in Tertullians phrase Scripturarum Lucifugae and Traditionaries St Gregory who is blessed in their Church exhorteth a Lay-man to the serious study of the Scriptures that thereby he might learn the will of God alledging that the Scripture is the Epistle of God unto his creature Quid est autem Scriptura sacra nisi Epistola omnipotentis Dei ad Creaturam Greg. lib. 4 epist. 40. ad Theodorum mediâ—um Proving further That obscurity of Scripture is so frothy an argument for perswading any devout Christian not to reade it that it should rather incite them to greater Diligence therein and therefore he elegantly compâ—res the Scripture to a River wherein saith he there are as well shallow Fords for Lambs to wade in as depths and gulphs wherein the Elephant may swim Chrysostom held it a thing necessary for all men daily to read the Scriptures Audito quaeso saeculares comparate vobis Biblia animae pharmaca St Ierom did exhort divers women thereto and commended them for exercising themselves therein he writes to Laeta and Gaudentia and shews them how they should bring up their daughters Scripturas sacras tenebat memoriter Hieron de Paula in Epitaphio He commends the Husbandmen about Bethlem for being so perfect in the Scripture That they had the Psalms of David by heart and sang them as they followed the Plow Arator stivam tenens cantat Davidicum melos Epist. ad Demetriad The Apostle would not have commended this in Timothy 2 Tim. 3. 15. That from his childehood he knew the holy Scriptures nor noted it to the praise of his Grandmother and Mother that they had trained him up so if he had not known that the holy Scriptures are so plain that even a childe may be able to understand them What may we judge of the other easier books when the holy Ghost would have the Revelation the obscurest book of all the Scripture to be read Revel 1 3 The people took occasion of erring and blaspheming from the humiliation of Christ many abuse Preaching and the Sacraments 2. By this reason the Latine Bibles should not be suffered to be read publickly because many understanding Latine from the reading of them may take occasion of erring There is a greater reason to be had of Gods elect which are edified by reading of the Scripture then of those who wrest them Peter by this reason stirred up the faithfull to reade the Scriptures with greater devotion 2 Pet. 3. 14 15 16 17. 3. This is common both to the Ecclesiastical Persons and Laity to take occasion of erring and blaspheming from the Scripture If we peruse the Histories of times past we shall finde that learned and Ecclesiastical men did oftner fall into Heresies and Blasphemies from misunderstanding and wresting the Scriptures then any of the common sort of people who were often also by the learned drawn into Heresie The Papists are not afraid the people should be corrupted by reading their legends and lying fables by their Images which doe naturally teach Idolatry The Papists further object That the Hebrews did not permit young men to read part of Genesis Canticles Ezekiel We must know that the reading of those Scriptures non ablatam hominibus sed dilatam fuisse was not taken away from them but delayed only They permitted all men before thirty to read all other Chapters of holy Scripture and after thirty these
Babylon the great Whore with all the Kingdoms of Antichrist The subject of it is two-fold 1. The present state of the Church 2. The future state of it The things which are and the things which shall be hereafter Revel 1. 19. The three first Chapters of this Book contain seven several Epistles to the seven several Churches of Asia the other following Chapters are a Prophetical History of the Church of God from Christs Ascension to his second coming The holy Ghost foreseeing what labour Satan and his instruments would take to weaken and impair the credit and authority of this above all other Books wherein he prevailed so far as some true Churches called the truth and authority of it into question hath backed it with a number of confirmations more then are in any other Book of Scripture First The Author of it is set in the fore-front or face of it The Revelation of Iesus Christ Chap. 1. vers 1. who professeth himself to be the first and the last vers 11. so in the several Epistles to the Churches in several styles he challengeth them to be his Thus saith he 1. That holdeth the seven starres in his right hand 2. He which is first and last which was dead and is alive 3. Which hath the sharp two edged Sword 4. Which hath eyes like a flame of fire and his feet like brass 5. Which hath the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars 6. He who is holy and true who hath the key of David 7. He who is Amen the faithful and true witness the beginning of the creatures of God Secondly The Instrument or Pen-man his servant Iohn the Evangelist the Apostle the Divine who for the farther and more full authority of it repeateth his name at least thrice saying I Iohn Chap. 1. 9. and 21. 1 2. and 22. 8. wheâ—â—â—â— in the Gospel he never maketh mention of his name there he writes the History of Christ here he writes of himself and the Revelations declared to him Thirdly In the last Chapter are five testimonies heaped together vers 5 6 7 8. 1. Of the Angels 2. Of God himself the Lord of the holy Prophets 3. Of Jesus Christ Behold I come shortly 4. Of Iohn I Iohn heard and saw all these things 5. The Protestation of Jesus Christ v. 18. Fourthly The matter of the Book doth convince the Authority thereof seeing everywhere the Divinity of a Prophetical Spirit doth appear the words and sentences of other Prophets are there set down part of the Prophecies there delivered are in the sight of the world accomplished by which the truth and authority of the whole is undoubtedly proved there are extant many excellent Testimonies of Christ and his Divinity and our redemption by Christ. Fifthly The most ancient Fathers Greek and Latine ascribe this Book to Iohn the Apostle Theophylact Origen Chrysostome Tertullian Hilary Austin Ambrose Irenâ—us To deny then the truth of this Book is contrasolem obloqui to gainsay the shining of the Sun it self The Chiliasts abuse many testimonies out of this Book but those places have been cleared long ago by the learned as bearing another sense See Dr Raynolds Conf. with Hart c. 8. p. 406. Calvin being demanded his opinion what he thought of the Revelation answered ingeniously saith one He knew not at all what so obscure a writer meant Se penitus ignorare quid velit tam obscurus scriptor Cajetane at the end of his Exposition of Iude confesseth that he understandâ— not the literal sense of the Revelation and therefore Exponat saith he cui Deus concesserit It consists of two and twenty Chapters the best Expositors of it are Ribera Brightman Paraeus Cartwright Fulk Dent Forbes Mede Simonds Foord 1. The Scriptures written by Moses and the Prophets sufficiently prove that Christ is the Messiah that was to come The Old Testament may convince the Jews which deny the New Testament of this truth Iohn 5. 39. They that is those parts of Scripture written by Moses and the Prophets there were no other Scriptures then written The 53 of Isaiah is a large History of his sufferings We have also another Book or Testament more clearly witnessing of Christ The Gospel is the unsearchable riches of Christ Ephes. 3. 8. So much may suffice to have spoken concerning the Divine Canon the Ecclesiastical and false Canon follow CHAP. V. Of the Books called Apocrypha SOme Hereticks utterly abolisht the Divine Canon as the Swingfeldians and Libertines who contemned all Scriptures the Manichees and Marcionites refused all the Books of the Old Testament as the Jews do those of the New as if they had proceeded from the Devil Some diminish this Canon as the Sadduces who as Whitaker and others hold rejected all the other Prophets but Moses some inlarge it as the Papists who hold that divers other Books called by us Apocrypha i hidden do belong to the Old Testament and are of the same authority with the other before named and they adde also their traditions and unwritten Word equalling it with the Scripture both these are accursed Rev. 22. 18. But against the first we thus argue Whatsoever Scripture 1. Is divinely inspired 2. Christ commandeth to search 3. To which Christ and his Apostles appeal and confirm their Doctrine by it that is Canonical and of equal Authority with the New Testament But the holy Scripture of the Old Testament is divinely inspired 2 Tim. 3. 16. where he speaks even of the Books of the Old Testament as is gathered both from the universal all writing viz. holy in the 15 verse and from the circumstance of time because in the time of Timothies infancy little or nothing of the New Testament was published 2. Christ speaks not to the Scribes and Pharisees but to the people in general to search it Iohn 5. 39. this famous elogium being added That it gives testimony of him and that we may finde eternal life in it 3. Christ and his Apostles appeal to it and confirm their Doctrine by it Luke 24. 27. Rom. 3. 21. Acts 10. 43. and 17. 11. and 20. 43. and 26. 20. the New Testament gives testimony of the Old and Peter 2 Pet. 1. 19. of Pauls Epistles The Ecclesiastical Canon which is also called the second Canon followeth to which these Books belong Tobit Iudith first and second of the Maccabees Wisdom Ecclesiasticus Baruch Additions to Daniel and Esther for these neither contain truth perfectly in themselves nor are sanctified by God in the Church that they may be a Canon of faith and although abusively from custom they were called Canonical yet properly in the Church they are distinguished from the Canonical by the name of Apocryphal The false Canon is that which after the authority of the Apocrypha increased was constituted by humane opinion for the Papists as well as we reject for Apocryphal the third and fourth Book of Ezra the prayer of Manasses the third
and fourth of Maccabees as Thomas Aquinas Sixtus Senenfis Bellarmine and so the Councel of Trent confesse when they omit these and reckon up the whole Canon The state therefore of the controversie betwixt us and the Papists is Whether those seven whole Books with the Appendices be Sacred Divine Canonical We do not deny but many of these especially Wisdom and Ecclesiasticus are very good and profitable and to be preferred before all humane Tractates but that they are properly and by an excellency Canonical and of infallible truth out of which firm arguments may be drawn that we deny Those Books which the Jews of old and the Reformed Churches now reckon for truly Canonical in the Old Testament are received all even by our Adversaries for Canonical without any exception 2. For the Canonical Books of the New Testament there is no controversie between us and so far we agree but in the Old Testament whole Books are reckoned by them for Canonical which we hold Apocryphal The reason why these Books at first were added to holy Writ was this the Jews in their later times before and at the coming of Christ were of two sorts some properly and for distinction sake named Hebrews inhabiting Ierusalem and the holy Land others were Hellenists that is the Jews of the dispersion mingled with the Grecians These had written sundry Books in Greek which they made use of together with other parts of the Old Testament which they had in Greek of the Translation of the LXX when they now understood not the Hebrew but the Hebrews receive only the two and twenty Books before-mentioned Hence it came that the Jews delivered a double Canon of Scripture to the Christian Church the one Pure unquestioned and Divine which is the Hebrew Canon the other in Greek adulterate corrupted by the addition of certain Books written in those times when God raised up no more Prophets among his people Drus. praeterit l. 5. Annotat. ad Act. Apost c. 6. Jun. Animad in Bell. cont 1. lib. 1. c. 4. l. 2. c. 15. Sect. 21. Tertul in Apol c. 19. They are called Apocryphal i. secret and hidden not because the names of the writers are unknown by that reason Iudges and Ruth should be Apocryphal but because they were not wont to be read openly in the Church of God as the Canonical Books but secretly and in private by private persons or because their Authority was obscure and doubtful with the Ancient These Books our Church rejecteth as not written by Divine Inspiration for these reasons All the Canonical Books of the Old Testament were written by the Prophets but none of these Books were written by any of the Prophets for 1. The last of the Prophets of the Jews was Malachi Mal. 4. 4 5. between whom and Iohn Baptist came no Prophet Mark begins with the same words almost with which Malachi ended a good argument to prove that the New Testament is next to the Old But these Books were written by such who lived most of them after Malachi 2. All the Prophets wrote in Hebrew the language which the Jews understood but the Fathers affirm and Papists acknowledge that most of these Books were written in Greek Ergo being not written by the Prophets they are not Canonical 2. All the Books of the Old Testament were committed to the Jews and safely kept by them Rom. 3. 2. our Saviour Christ which reproved the Jews for corrupting the sense of the Scripture did yet never reprove them for rejecting those Books which were divinely inspired which sacriledge he would not have concealed yea our Saviour sendeth us unto the Scriptures as they received them Ioh. 5. 39. Ezra after the Captivity is reported to have gathered all the Books of holy Scripture and safely to lay them up If the Jews should have rejected or not received any Books being Canonical they had grievously erred which the Papists themselves will not affirm Yea there should have been some Canonical Books which no Church received for besides the Church of the Jews at that time there was none in the world The Canonical Books of the Old Testament were divided into Moses the Prophets and Psalms with which agreeth the old distribution of the Hebrews into the Law Prophets and Hagiographa 3. There are two wayes to know a Book to be Canonical one by the testimony of some Prophet or Apostle the other by the certain Testimony of them which did live when the Book was published who did witnesse that the Book was written by some Prophet or Apostle But these Books are known to be Canonical neither of these wayes they were rejected by the Jews who lived in the times when they were written our Saviour Christ nor his Apostles never commend these Books unto us as endited by the Spirit They are cited by Christ and his Apostles for the confirmation of their Doctrine All the Canonical Books in general Iohn 5. 39. and 10. 35. Rom. 16. 26 Luke 16. 29 31. and Chap. 24. 25 27 44. The most of all in special Genesis Matth. 19 4 5 6. Exodus Mat. 5. 21 27 33 38. Leviticus Gal. 3. 12. Numbers John 3. 14. Deuteronomy Acts 3. 22. Ioshua Heb. 11. 30 31. Iudges Heb. 11. 32. Ruth Mat. 1. 3. First of Samuel Matth. 12. 3. Second of Samuel Heb. 1. 5. First of Kings Mat. 12. 42. Second of Kings Luk. 4. 27. First of Chronicles Mat. 1. 3 7 10 13. Second of Chronicles Acts 7. 48. Ezra Matth. 1. 12 13. Iob 1 Cor. 3. 19. Psalms Act. 4. 25. Proverbs Heb. 12. 5 6 7. Isaiah Matth. 1. 23. Ieremiah Heb. 10. 16 17. Ezekiel Mat. 25. 35. Daniel Matth. 24. 25. All the lesser Prophets Acts 7. 42. and 15. 15 16. Hosea Mat. 12. 7. Ioel Act. 2. 12. Amos Act. 15. 16. Ionah Mat. 12. 40 41. Micah Mat. 10. 35. Nahum Rom. 10. 15. Habakkuk Rom. 1. 17. Haggai Heb. 12. 26. Zachary Matth. 21. 5. Malachi Luke 1. 16 17. These Books were not cited by Christ and his Apostles for confirmation of their Doctrine Object If they be not Canonical therefore because they are not cited then Nahum and Zephany are not Canonical Aratus Menander and Epimenides prophane Poets are Canonical because they are cited Acts 17. 28. 1 Cor. 15. 33. Titus 1. 12. Answ. They are not therefore not Canonical only because they are not cited but especially because they have not the characters of Divine Scripture 2. Nahum and Zephany are implicitely quoted when the Books of the Prophets are mentioned Acts 7. 41. and 15. 15 16. The Poets are not cited as Canonical but the Apostle applied himself to his hearers who did much esteem their authority Some have well concluded from Act. 10. 43. that the Apocrypha are not to be received as Canonical Scripture because they testifie not of Christ. 4. Those Books which contain manifest untruths contrary to the Word of God and the Books of holy
place part whereof consisteth in the Story part in the Allegory So that the whole sense is contained in them both So for the second example of the Tropological There is not a two-fold sense of that place but one general sense that as the mouth of the Ox was not to be muzled so the Minister of the Gospel must be provided for Likewise of the Anagogical kinde It is not one sense to understand the rest of Canaan another the Kingdom of God But there is one whole sense that as they for their Idolatry were deprived of the Land of promise so we should take heed least by our disobedience we lose the hope of the Kingdom of heaven So we conclude that those are not divers senses but one sense diversly applied The literal sense is the only sense of the place because out of that sense only may an argument strongly be framed wherefore seeing Allegories and Tropes do not conclude they are not the senses of the place and Allegories devised beside the sense prove not though they may illustrate It is manifest that is always the sense of the holy Ghost which is drawn from the very words But we are not so certain concerning any mystical sense unlesse when the holy Ghost himself teacheth us as for example it is written Hos. 11. 1. Out of Egypt have I called my Sonne and Exod. 12. 46. Ye shall not break a bone of him It is evident that the first place is understood of the people of Israel the later of the Paschal Lamb. Who durst have applied those things to Christ unlesse the holy Ghost had first done it and declared his minde and meaning to us viz. That Son in the first place doth not only signifie the people of Israel but Christ also and by bone in the later place not only the bone of that Lamb but of Christ also is understood Secondly To whom the chief Authority to expound Scripture is committed It was decreed in the Councel of Trent That Scripture should be expounded as the Church expoundeth it and according to the common and unanimous consent of the Fathers If the Fathers agree not the matter is referred to a generall Councel If there it be not determined we must have recourse to the Pope and his Cardinals We say also that the Church is the Interpreter of Scripture and that this gift of interpreting resides only in the Church but we deny that it belongs to certain men or is tied to a certain place or succession of men The Ministry of judgement the Lord hath given to his Church 1 Cor. 2 15. and 10. 15. 1 Ioh. 4. 1. Act. 15. 16. 2 Cor. 14. 29 31 32. but the Soveraignty of judgement he hath reserved to himself The holy Scripture knows not the ancient Fathers acknowledge not as long as we have the Scripture there needs not any such standing Judge in the Church These three things Mr Down proves in his not consent of Fathers but Scripture the ground of faith p. 261. to 266. The holy Ghost is the Judge and the Scripture is the sentence or definitive Decree We acknowledge no publick Judge except the Scripture and the holy Ghost teaching us in the Scripture He that made the Law should interpret the same 1 Cor. 1. 12. 1 Ioh. 2. 27. Arguments brought by the Papists for their opinion Object 1. They object that place Exod. 18. 13 26. Answ. Moses was a Prophet indued with singular wisdom adorned by God with extraordinary gifts sent immediately by him and commended by Divine Testimonies to the people the Pope is not so He had chiefest Authority from God over all the Israelites but the Pope hath not so over all Christians Moses his Authority was extraordinary no man succeeded in his place Ioshua was a Captain only or Judge in Civil things Aaron only a Priest to administer in things sacred but Moses exercised both functions Object 2. They urge that place Deut. 17. 9. Answ. Here the Civil Magistrate and the Judge are joyned together as vers 12. If it will follow hence that the Pope must be Supreme Judge in all Ecclesiastical matters the Emperor ought to be as well in Civil 2. The Pope doth not hold the same place among Christians that the high-Priest did among the Jews For he was the chiefest having all the rest of the Priests subject to him but the Pope is one amongst all having collegues many Bishops as at first or a few Patriarchs as after Object 3. Eccl. 12. 11. If the chief Pastor in the Old Testament had such authority much more the chief Priest in the New Answ. This one Pastor signifieth neither the High-Priest in the old Law nor the Pope in the new but Jesus Christ the high Shepherd for our souls Object Matth. 6. 19. Christ saith to Peter To thee will I give the Keyes of the Kingdome of Heaven Therefore the Pope hath Authority to expound Scripture Answ. First By the Keyes here is meant Commission to preach the Gospel not Authority of interpreting the Scriptures When the Gospel is preached the Kingdome of Heaven is opened to the Beleevers and shut to the unbeleevers Secondly That Authority of the Keys was not committed to Peter only but to the other Apostles also Mat. 28. 18 19. There is a two-fold Judgement 1. Of Discretion 1 Cor. 10. 15. 2. Of Authority as the Parliament judgeth capital crimes If the Papists understand the word Iudge to signifie Discerning as when we judge of meats by the taste every faithful person ought to pray unto God for grace to judge to discern and to know the true sense of the Scripture But if by judging they understand to pronounce Decrees definitive and infallible Judgements touching the sense of the Scriptures thereby to binde other mens consciences there is no man in the world that hath that power See Moulins Buckler of Faith We have a more compendious way to come to the understanding of the Scripture It were too long when we doubt of any place to stay till we have the general consent of the Pastors of the Church or to expect a general Councel or to go up to Rome But the word of God is amongst us the Scriptures themselves and the Spirit of God opening our hearts do teach us how to understand them And yet we say not as the Papists falsâ—y charge us that we allow every private mans Interpretation of Scripture refusing the judgement of the Pastors of the Church Panoruitan saith The opinion of one godly man ought to be preferred before the Popes if it be grounded upon beâ—ter authority of the Old and New Testament 2 Pet. 1. 20. No prophecy of the Scripture is of any private Interpretation Stapleton saith Iuterpretation is private either Ratione personae when the man is prviate or Ratione medii when it is not taken out of the Context and Circumstances or Ratione finis when it is for a false end Now private Interpretation in regard of
the person if it be publick in regard of the means is not forbidden for it is lawful for one man with Scripture Toti resistere mundo saith the Glosse of the Canon-Law the meaning of this place is That the Prophets were no Interpreters or Messengers of their own mindes but Gods The Catholicks hold saith Chamier meaning still by that Title the Protestants that the Scripture is to be interpreted by private labour and industry viz. of Augustine Ierom Chrysostom but not in a private sense that is in a sense arising from the brain of the Interpreter It is true saith Cartwright against the Rhemists that the Scriptures cannot be expounded of every private spirit nor which is more of any private spirit nor yet of all private spirits together but only of those which are inspired of God viz. the Prophets and Apostles which are here opposed unto private Interpretation And therefore it is evident That the Exposition of the Scripture ought not to be fetched from Ecclesiastical either Fathers or Councels which speak not by Inspiration but from the Scriptures themselves what he meaneth he declareth in the next verse where he sheweth the reason of his saying namely that it must be interpreted as it was written and by as high Authority Seeing therefore it was first spoken by holy men which spake as they were led by the holy Spirit and were inspired of God it followeth that it must be interpreted by the same Authority The Interpretation therefore that is brought out of the Apostles and Prophets is not private although it be avowed by one man only On the other side that Interpretation which is not brought from thence although it have the allowance of whole general Councels is but private This is a principal meaning of our Saviour Christ when he willeth that we should call no man Father or Master in the earth that is in matter of Doctrine we should depend upon the Authority of no man nor of all men in the earth but only upon Christ and upon God Our reasons by which we prove that the chiefest Judgment and Authority of interpreting Scriptures is to be given not to the Church but to the Scriptures themselves and the holy Ghost 1. That which only hath power to beget faith that only hath the chiefest Authority of interpreting Scripture and of determining all Controversies concerning Faith and Religion but the Scriptures onely and the Holy Ghost have this force Rom. 10. 17. The Holy Ghost onely can infuse saving Faith into our hearts which is called by the Schoolmen Infusa Fides The Faith which we have from the Church is acquired and sufficeth not to a certain perswasion 2. The Scriptures cannot be interpreted but by the same Spirit wherewith they were written that Spirit is found no where but in the Scripture whosoever have promises from God to understand the Scripture may interprett it but so have all the faithfull 3. Christ himself makes the Scripture a Judge Iohn 12. 48. and still appealed to it 4. Although the Fathers were men indued of God with excellent gifts and brought no small light to understanding of the Scriptures yet learned men in our dayes may give a right sense of sundry places thereof which the Fathers saw not yea against the which perhaps they consent Hath any man living read all the Fathers Nay have all the men living read them Nay Can they shew them Can they get them I had almost said Can they name them In the Exposition of those words Tu es Petrus super hanc petram almost every one of the Fathers at least the most part of them and the best expound it of Peters faith yet the Papists understand it non de fide sed de persona Petri. Here they disagree themselves from the Fathers Iohn 10. 16. by the title of one Shepheard Augustine Chrysostome Ierome Cyril Theodoret Theophylact Euthimius Rupertus Cyprian and other Fathers agree that Christ is theredesigned but Stapleton saith the Pope is there meant In the Division of the Law they go clean contrary to the greatest part of the Fathers for they divide the Commandments as we do but the Papists make the two first one and the tenth two 2. They have no father to countenance them in this but Augnstine Revet de Authoritate Patrum c. 5 6 7. There were no writings of the Fathers for a time many of them wrote 400 years after Christ but some 500 and 600 years after Christ what rule had they before that time of interpreting Scriptures The Fathers were given too much to allegorizing Cajetane therefore in the Preface of his Commentaries upon the Books of Moses saith That the exposition of the Scripture is not tied by God to the sense of the Fathers therefore he admonisheth his Readers not to take it ill if he sometime dissent from the stream of the Fathers 4. The Doctrine of the Church must be examined by the Scriptures Acts 17. 11. If Pauls doctrine much more may the decrees of the Pope Church Councels be examined by the Scriptures 5. The interpretation of the Scripture is a gift freely given by God for the edification of the Church Rom. 12. 6. 1 Cor. 12. 10. therefore it is not tied to a certain kinde of men but common to the faithful 6. The faithful are commanded diligently to try and examine every doctrine 1 Thess. 5. 21. 1 Iohn 4. 1. which cannot be altogether done without interpretation What means must be used in the interpretation of Scripture The end of the Scripture we heard was to direct the Church to all saving truth The means to be used for the attaining of that end by the Minister is diligent study and humble Prayer by the People attentive reading hearing prayer and meditating First the Teachers must pray earnestly to God for his spirit to inlighen them Mat. 7. 7 8 9. Rom. 15. The Scriptures are understood by that spirit that dictated them Secondly The Pastors and Teachers of the Church must diligently and painfully study the Scriptures giving themselves to read compare place with place Iohn 5. 39. Search the Scriptures it is a metaphor taken from such as search for Gold and Silver Oar in the earth who will search and sift and break every clod to finde out the gold Solomon useth the same metaphor Prov. 2. 4. and to this diligence in searching doth the Apostle exhort Timothy 1 Tim. 4. 13. This diligence of often exprest in Scripture in the Old Testament by the phrase of meditating in the word Iosh. 1. 8. Psal. 1. 2. Thirdly they must labour for a competent knowledge in the original tongues the Hebrew and Greek in which the Scripture was written that so they may consult with the Hebrew Text in the Old and the Greek in the New Testament and see with their own not anothers eyes as Gen. 3. 15. The Papists read it corruptly She shall break here the original soon determines the
against Arius who denied the Deity of Christ. The first Constantinopolitan Councel called by the Emperour Theodosius the elder against Macedonius who denied the Deity of the holy Ghost The first Ephesine Councel called by the Emperor Theodosius the younger against Nestorius who held that there were two Persons in Christ. Fourthly The Chalcedonian called by the Emperour Martian against Eutyches who held that the one Nature in Christ consisted of the Divine and Humane These Councels were celebrated within five hundred years after Christs birth Councels there have been called Ancient because lesse Modern and General because lesse Particular for the first was not till more then three hundred years after Christ nor to the largest appears it that ever any were summoned beyond the bounds of the ancient Roman Empire though Christianity were much far extended Rainold part 2. Plenariis Conciliis quorum est in Ecclesia saluberrima Authoritas Augustin epist. 118. cap. 3. That a Synod be general and lawful three things are necessarily and essentially required 1. The first which concerns the generality of it is That the Calling and Summons to the Councel be general and Oecumenical Quod omnes tangit ab omnibus approbari debet The lawfulnesse of Synods consists partly in their orderly assembling by lawful authority and partly in their orderly Government and proceedings when they are assembled Crakanth Vigil Dormit c. 19. The nature of Synods is all one when they be Provincial National or oecumenical and they only differ as greater or lesser Their power is not meerly consultatory and swasive but authoritative and to be submitted unto by those for whom their delegation is so farre as their acts are according to the Word of God In Synodo est authoritatis apex totius Ecclesiae unitas ordinis firmamentum Leyd profess de concil A few private men yea one man or woman may counsel advise or perswade M. Hudsons Vindicat. c. 7. It is a Question between us and the Papists Cujus sit congregare Concilia Who hath the power of calling a Councel The Papists generally say the Pope Vide Bellarm. de Concil lib. 1. cap. 12 13. We the Emperour and other Christian Princes The four first general Councels were called by four Emperours as was before mentioned The Pope of Rome out of his own Province hath no right nor authority of calling a Councel The true cause saith Doctor Ames why general Councels were called by the authority of the Emperour was because the Emperour alone not the Pope had universal power It is a Question between us and the Papists Quinam sunt ad concilium convocandi Who are to be called to a Councel The Papists hold only the Clergy may be of the Councel and of the Clergy only Bishops as Judges Men that are famous for wisdom holinesse of life and experience of things men that are inflamed with a zeal to God and to the salvation of men with the love of the truth and peace From Acts 15. 6. 23. it is manifest that not only the Apostles but also the Elders and the people likewise and the whole Church were present and had their voices in this Councel See Acts 16. 4. That famous Paphnutius was a Lay-man A general Councel represents the Universal therefore there ought to be present there some of all kinds and orders of men An Concilia possint errare Whether general Councels may erre Every Assembly which consists of members subject to errour may be seduced But General Councels are Assemblies consisting of members subject to errour for all men are so Rom. 3. 4. Secondly If the determination of General Councels were infallible all Christians were necessarily bound to stand unto them and to submit to their authority Thirdly If General Councels may contradict the one the other they may certainly erre The General Councel held at Laterane under Leo the tenth contradicteth the Councel of Constance in the point of the Councels superiority above the Pope Fourthly That which hath befallen some General Councels may befall any other unlesse they can alledge some special priviledges to the contrary See 1 Kin. 22. 12. Mat. 26. 65. Ioh. 11. 52. Mark 14. 64. Bellarmine saith they cannot erre if confirmed by the Pope De concil lib. 2. cap. 2 3 4 5. That General Councels though gathered and confirmed by the Pope may erre not only in fact as the Papists confesse but also in faith and manners Vide Whitaker controv 3. de Concil Quaest. 6. In eo Pontificii se praebent ridendos nam Papae confirmatio sequitur Concilii decreta non praecedit Cameron The Rhemists bring Iohn 16. 13. Luk. 1. 3. Some urge Matth. 18. 20. for this purpose None amongst them is like to Luke nay all of them gathered together are not like him he was an extraordinary instrument of the holy Ghost Iohn 16. 13. speaks not of the Church but of the Apostles but if it be applicable to the Church yet it belongs only to the Spouse of Christ not that she doth not sometimes erre also even in Doctrine but not deadly she shall not erre in things which are necessary to salvation See Cameron Miroth in loâ— If from this promise an infallibility of judging might be gathered it would agree not only to Bishops gathered together but severed neither only to the Pope of Rome as the Jesuites would have it but also to the Successours of the rest of the Apostles saith B. Davenant That place Mat. 18. 20. means any particular Assembly of the Saints Vide Calv. in loc Act. 15. 22. is also brought This Councel consisted of Apostles which had an extraordinary assistance and illumination of Gods Spirit there is not the like authority of other Councels Panormitan the great Popish Canonist and Lawyer saith Plus credendum est simplici Laico Scripturam proferenti quam toti simul Concilio There is another great controversie not so much as Whitaker hath well observed between us and the Papists as between the Papists themselves An Concilia sint supra Papam Whether Councels be above the Pope Many amongst them and those of great note prefer a General Councel before the Pope but others a Pope before the Councel If Peter himself saith Whitaker in the place before-quoted be sent to the Church as to a certain superiour judgement and tribunal and be commanded to bring the faults and offences of others to it then it follows that the Church is greater and superiour to Peter or any other in authority The Assumption saith he relies in expresse words of Scripture The consequence of the major is evident from the confession of the Adversaries For they say That a Church is represented in a Councel Secondly The Universal Church is called the mother of all the faithful and Christians Gal. 4. 26. The Pope is the Churches son if he be faithful But the son is not above his mother only God and his word is above the Church of God
Regeneration ibid. How the Scripture is to be read l. 1. p. 23 24 Reason Reason the uses of it in matters of Religion l. 9. p. 87 Rebaptizing condemned l. 8. p. 676 Rebellion against God and man l. 4. p. 373 374 Recovery What mans Recovery is l. 5. p. 389. to 392 Redeemer Redeemer Christ how l. 5. p. 408 409 Redemption what l. 5. p. 414 Religion Three characters of the true Religion l. 7. p. 5 Remora able to stay the greatest Ship under sail l. 3. p. 262 Repent How God is said to Repent and how not l. 2. p. 151 Repentance what in us l. 8. p. 649 650 Reproach Christ reproached for our sakes l. 5. p. 427 428 Reprobation Reprobation what it signifies and what it is l. 2. p. 222 The word taken three wayes and five evil consequences of it ibid. Resurrection Christ Rose from the dead and why l. 5. p. 438 to 441 Our Resurrection l. 10. p. 857 858 Revelation The manner of Gods Revealing his will threefold l. 1. p. 5 The Book of Revelation why so called l. 1. p. 52 It is canonical l. 1. p. 51 52 Difficult ibid. The best Interpreters of it l. 1. p. 53 Revenge l. 4. p. 374 375 376 Reverence Reverenco l. 7. p. 577 578 In worship l. 9. p 779 780 Righteousnesse Whether original Righteousnesse was natural to Adam l. 3. p. 291 The Properties of original Righteousnes l. 2. p. 292 Christs Righteousnesse is ours l. 7. p. 522 523 Marks to try whether we have it and means to get it ibid. Rivers Rivers Their original use and motion l. 3. p. 251 252 The River Nilus l. 3. p. 246. 252 Romans Romans an excellent Epistle l. 1. p. 47 Who best expound it ib. Rule The properties of a Rule l. 1 p. 82 83 The Scripture is the Rule of faith and life ibid. 84 Ruth Ruth by whom written l. 1. p. 32 The best Expositors of it ibid. S Sacraments SAcraments their name and nature l. 8. p. 655 656 The Church hath ever had Sacraments l. 8. p. 656 The use of Sacraments and their parts l. 8. p. 656 657 The necessity and efficacy of the Sacraments l. 8. p. 657 658 How the Sacraments of the Jewish Church and ours agree and how they differ l. 8. p. 659 660 The Sacraments of the New Testament only two l. 8. p. 660 Sacraments are to be dispensed only by a Minister l. 8. p. 661 The use of the Sacraments of the New Testament ibid. Sadduceâ— confuted l. 3. p. 279. 289 Samuel The Authors of the two books of Samuel and the best Expositors of them l. 1. p. 33 Sanctification Sanctification what l. 7. p. 530 53â— Its parts and properties l. 7. p. 532 Why all godly men must be pure and holy l. 7. p. 532 The excellency of Sanctification l. 7. p. 533 It is imperfect here and why l. 7. p. 533 534 Evidences of Sanctification and means to get it l. 7. p. 534 The Sanctification of the whole man soul and body l. 7. p. 540 541 Of the minde l. 7. p. 541 Of the will l. 7. p. 542 543 Of the conscience l. 7. p. 544 545 Of the memory l. 7. p. 546 Of the affections l. 7. p. 546 to 579 Of the sensitive appetite l. 7 p. 579 580 Of mans body and all the external actions l. 7. p. 580 to 584 Satisfaction Christ satisfied for us l. 5. p. 416 417 It was convenient Christ should satisfie for us l. 5. p. 417 418 The difference between merit and Satisfaction ibid. Saviour Christ is our Saviour and how l. 5. p. 405 406 Scandal l. 4. p. 376 Schism l. 4. p. 376 377 Schoolmen taxed l. 1. p. 25 Scientia media an errour l. 3 p. 120. m Scripture It is the rule of Divinity l. 1. p. 5 Three general characters to know any word to be the word of God ibid. God revealed himself divers wayes to the Fathers ibid. The divers Epithetes of the Scripture l. 1. p. 5 6 Why called the word of God l. 1. p. 5. m Why the Scripture ib. The Divine Authority of the Scriptures proved by many reasons l. 1. p 6. to 16 A description of the Scripture l. 1. p. 7 The Scripture is not repugnant to humane reason and policy l. 1. p. 17 It is for it self worthy to be believed and known to be of God by it self ib. It hath its Authority from it self not the Church l. 1. p. 17 18 It is to be read by the common people l. 1. p. 20 21 How it is to be read l. 1. p. 22 23 24 Many contemn and unreverently handle the Scripture l. 1. p. 25 26 27 The Canonical Books of Scripture l. 1. p. 28 Of the Old and New Testament l. 1. p. 30. to 54 What parts of Scripture have been questioned l. 1. p. 43 The Authentical Edition of Scripture l. 1. p. 58. to 61 Whether any books of the Scripture be lost l. 1. p. 72 73 Whether the Scriptures of the Old Testament had points from the beginning l. 1. p. 73 74 The end of the Scripture l. 1. p. 80 The Properties of the Scripture its Divine Authority truth it is the rule of faith and life necessity purity perfection perspicuity l. 1. p. 81 to 105 The interpretation of the Scripture 1. It s divers senses 2. To whom belongs the chief authority to expound Scripture 3. The means which must be used in the Interpâ—eâ—ation of it l. 1. p. 105. to 121 Sea Sea a great work of God the making of it l. 3. p. 249 252 253 Why called mâ—re ib. m. Divers Questions about it answered l. 3. p. 249 250 251 Sedition l. 4. p. 377 378 379 Self love l. 4. p. 379 Self-denial l. 7. p. 600 Self seeking l. 4. p. 379 380 Septuagint Septuagint The Greek Translation of the Old Testament l. 1. p. 62 Is not authentical l. 1. p. 75 76 Serpents Serpents a three-fold profit redounds to us from them l. 3. p. 267 268 Why Satan is called the old Serpent l. 4. p. 304 Servants Two kindes of them three things commend a Servant l. 9. p. 843 844 Severity l. 7. p. 588 589 Ship the materials of it wonderful l. 3. p. 254 255 Signs several sorts of them l. 8. p. 655 656 Simple God is most Simple l. 2. p. 138 139 Sincerity l. 7. p. 602 Singing of Psalms a duty and how to be performed l. 8. p. 609 610 Sinne. Sin what it is l. 4. p. 307 Divided into original and actual ibid. l. 4. p. 315 That there is original sin its names and what it is l. 4. p. 308 309 310 The subject of it l. 4. p. 310 It is not the substance of a man l. 4. p. 310 311 Many hereticks extenuate it ib. All equally guilty of original sinne l. 4. p. 312 313 How it is propagated l. 4 p. 313 314 We are all guilty of Adams sin l. 4. p. 306 307 What actual sin is l. 4 p.
in quibus aliquid prolocutus est lingua vernacula Salmasius de Hellenistica ad quartam quaestionem Princeps caput regula divinorum oraculorum salutisere ac necessariae veritatis est Christi Evangelium quo caeteri sacri libri omnes censentur precium accipiunt tâ—m veteris instrumenti quam novi Lod. Viv. de ver Fid. Christ l. 2. c. 9. Parvae interdum in Evangeliis diffiâ—entiae argumentum praebent veritatis ne ex composito videantur scripsisse si per omnia consentirent Chrysostomus Ex omnibus iis qui acta Christi doctrinâ—m literis mandarunt antiquissima illa prima Ecclesia illorum temporum pene aequalis solos quatuor tanquam sacro sanctos â—irmissimae fidei ac veritatis approbavit ac retinuit Matthaei Joannis qui rebus omnibus interfuerunt Marci ex relatione Petri Lucae tum ex Pauli revelatione tum relatu aliorum qui erant cum Domino versati Lod. Viv. de verit fid Christ. l. 2. c. 8. g Sunt sanâ— in â—o quo nunc utimur volumine libri aliquot non ab initio pariter recepti ut Petri altera ea quae Iacobi est Iudae duae sub nomine Ioannis Presbyteri Apocalypsis ad Hebraeos epistola sed ita tamen ut à multis Ecclesiis sint agniti Grotius lib. 3. de verit Relig. Christ. p. 143. vide plura ibid. The Book of Esther and Cantiâ—les were doubted of by some Vide Bellar de verb. Dei l. 1. c. 17 18 19. Joh. 8. See in the Annotat in loc h Vide Calvin in loc Chamier Tom. 1. l. 12. c. 7. Saepe falsissimae sunt Epistolarum Paulinarum subscriptiones Capellus i Vide Scultetum Bezam k Timothy is expresly by the Apostle called an Evangelist 2 Tim. 4. 5. therefore Titus having the same charge in Crete as he had in Ephesus they were both Evangelists Cartw. on the Title of the Epistle to the Romans See him also on the Title of the first Epistle to Timothy l We call them Historical in which is contained an Historical narration of things done â— for although in them there be many things pertaining to doctrine yet the chiefest thred and scope of the speech containeth a narration of an History done hence they are called Historical The Grecians call the Letters sent from one to another 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Epistles Wotton on 1 Joh. 1. The holy Ghost styles it a Prophecy Rev. 1. 8. 22. 7. 10. 18 19. See Rev. 1. 19. Ex Lutheranis satis commendari nequit Harmonia à Chemnitio ad stuporem usque dexterrimè capta à Lysero fideliter continuata à Gerhardo dexteritate fidelitate pari consummata ex Pontificiis Jansenius ex Calvinianis Calvinus Waltheri officina Bibl. m Apostle when it is properly taken extendeth it self not only to all the Ministers of God being sent of God but to the Embassadour of any Prince or Nobleman or that is sent of any publick Authority and it is used in the Scripture by a Synecdoche for the twelve that our Saviour Christ appointed to go thorowout all the world to preach the Gospel unto the which number was added St Paul and as some think Barnabas these were 1. Immediately called by God Gal. 1. 1. 2. They saw Christ 1 Cor. 9. 1. 3. They had the field of the whole world to till they were sent into all the world Cartw. Reply to Dr Whiâ—gist in Defence of the Admonition p. 45. Apostolatus â—rat functio quae post fundatas semol Ecclesias successionem non admisit sed cum ipsis Apostolis desâ—â—t Down Diatrib de Autich Vide Lod. Viv. de verit Fid. Christ. l. 2. c. 19. n In Chronica vide Seldenum de jure naturali * Lib. 7. c. 12. o Lib. 2. c. 24. p Lib. 3. c. 1. q Tertullian cals Matthew Fidelissimum Evangelii Commentatorem De serie annorum quibus scripti sunt libri novi Testamenti satis est curiosum animosè contendere Tamen video apud veteres non esse unam eandemque sententiam Chamierus Vide Sixti Senensis Bibliothecam sanctam Walther in officina Biblica Postremus omnium Evangelistarum scripsit ut colligeret quae aliis erant omissa vel brevius perstricta Chamier de Eucharistia l. 11. c. 4. Iohn in his Epistles was an Apostle in his Apocalyps a Prophet in his Gospel an Evangelist In his Gospel he writes more expresly then the resâ— of the Deity of Christ and in the Revelation of the coming of Antichrist q Acta Apostolorâ—â—m sunt Chronâ—â—ca quaedam priâ—nae Ecclesiae in Novo Testamentâ— Sic dicuntur quia râ—s primis Ecclesiae Christianae temporibus maximè ab Apostotis gestas describunt Martinins in memoriali Bibliâ—â— Paulus ad Roman undecim capitibus fidem fundat quinque cap. deinde mores superaediâ—icat Ad Galatas quinque fidem uno sexto mores docet Sic in aliis quoque Epistolis facit Lutherus Tomo 2. In S â— Pauls Epistles this order is kept those Epistles are set first which were written to whole Churches and then those which were written to particular persons In both these sorts the compâ—ler of them seemeth manifestly to have had respect of setting the Epistles in order according to their length Cartw. Ordo Epistolarum Paulinarum respectu scriptionis alius est quam respectu positionis in Bibliis Waltherus in officina Biblica Ludovicus Capellus historia Apostolica illustrata Epistolae Paulinae non temporis ordine locatae sunt ab iis qui eâ—s primi in unum volumen compegerunt sed pro dignitate corum ad quos scriptae sunt Ideo praecedunt quae ad Ecclesias sequuntur quae sunt ad singulos Grotius Câ—a 16. 15. 18 Capellus ibiâ— Acts 20. 2. Capellus ubi supra Capelli historiâ— Apostolica illustrata Inter Epistolas quae sunt ad Ecclesias prima est quae ad Romanam ob urbis ejus majestatem Grotius * The City of Corinth was a famous Metropolis in Achaia notable for wisdome one of the seven Wise-men is celebrated for a Corinthian Tully calleth it Lumen Graeciae a It was famous also for riches and merchandize and for pride luxury lust whence the Proverb Non cuivis homini contingit adire Corinthum Lais there asking a great sum of money of Demosthenes for a nights lodging with her he answered Non emam tanti poenitere b Acts 19. and 20. 16 17. c Bayne See Ephes. 5. 18. See Phil. 4. 16. d 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 honoro 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Deus q. d. cultor Dei vel honorans Deum Sic 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 à verbo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 magni aestimo in pretio habeo honoro Pasor e Plena roboris lacertorum est tota Epistola singulis ejus verbis mirifica quaedam argumentandi vis latet recondita Scultetus f Duplex dubitatio de
of God coessential coequal and coeternal with his Father or that we have remission of sins by the effusion of his bloud They therefore who first hold pestilent Heresies and secondly who when before they professed the Christian Religion and held the truth have yet made a direction from the same to such Heresies and thirdly who labour to infect others and fourthly being convicted do yet obsti nately persevere in them and in the manner before mentioned such are and ought say some worthy Protestants to be punished by the Christian Magistrate with death They reason thus from the Office of the Magistrate Every Magistrate may and ought to punish offenders and the more pernicious the offenders are the more hamous ought the punishment to be That the Magistrate is both custos ac vindex utriusque tabulae these two Scriptures do plainly evince For he is the Minister of God to thee for good but iâ— thou do what is evil be afraid for he beareth not the sword in vain for he is the Minister of God a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doth evil Rom. 13. 4. 1 Tim. 2. 2. For Kings and all that are in Authority that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty and are urged by Calvin Beza and divers others to this very purpose For if saith Beza the Magistrate have not power over Hereticks one of these two things must necessarily follow either that Hereticks do not do ill or that what Paul speaks in general must be restrained to a certain kinde of evil deeds viz. to corporal sins Ubi lex non distinguit nec non distinguere debemus From 1 Tim. 2. 2. both Melancthon and Beza collect that the Magistrate is constituted by God not onely a preserver of the second Table but also and especially of pure Religion and the external Discipline of it and so a punisher also of the offences against it Godliness and honesty makes Kings Guardians of both Tables as well of the first which containeth the worship of God as of the second which is the fountain of publick honesty D. Hampton on Luk. 22. 24 25. Vide Episc. Rosseus de potestate Papae in rebus temporal lib. 2. c. 14. pag. 460. That Magistrate which takes care onely of honesty doth but one and the least part of his duty See 2 Chron. 17. 7 8 9. For the inforcing of this Argument from these two Scriptures these Reasons may be added 1. The sins against the first Table Caeteris paribus are greater then those against the second Table and the Magistrate is more to respect the glory of God then the peace of the Commonwealth Heresies and corruptions in judgement are held by a Reverend Divine to be worse then corruptions in manners his reason is taken out of Levit. 13. 44. one that was leprous in his head was utterly unclean There was a special dishonour put on him that had the leprosie in his head there 45. v. compare with Mic. 3. 7. 2. Errours and Heresies are called in Scripture Evil deeds 2 Ioh. v. 10 11. and Hereticks Evil doers Phil. 3. 2. Divines generally hold that such who erre blasphemously are to be put to death such as Arius and Servetus in France One saith the Devil will think he hath made a good bargain if he can get an universal liberty for removal of the Prelacy That which Ierome wrote to Augustine Quod signum majoris gloriae est omnes Haeretici te detestantur may be applied to those of our times who have been Champions for the truth such evil doers will malign them but if they mannage well so good a cause it will bear them out Ierome was famous for confuting the Heresies of his times for writing against Helvidius Iovinian Vigilantius thâ— Luciferians and Pelagians Origen shews great learning in writing against Celsus Basil opposing Eunomius Cyprians writings against Novatus and Hilaries against Constantius deserves praise Austine wrote excellently against Pelagius and Gaudentius the Arians Manichees Quis unquam saith one in Ecclesia paulo eruditior post ortam novam haeresin reticuit Ea demum vera militia Christiana est haereses expugnare THE CONTENTS BOOK I. Of the SCRIPTURES Chap. 1. OF Divinity in general Pag. 1 Chap. 2. Of the Divine Authority of the Scriptures Pag. 5 Chap. 3. Of the Books of Scripture Pag. 28 Chap. 4. Of the New Testament Pag. 40 Chap. 5. Of the Books called Apocrypha Pag. 54 Chap. 6. Of the Authentical Edition of the Scriptures Pag. 58 Chap. 7. Of the Seventy and Vulgar Translation Pag. 75 Chap. 8. Of the Properties of the Scripture Pag. 81 Chap. 9. Of the Interpretation of Scripture Pag. 105 BOOK II. Of GOD. Chap. 1. That there is a God Pag. 121 Chap. 2. What God is Pag. 132 Chap. 3. That God is a Spirit Simple Living Immortal Pag. 136 Chap. 4. That God is Infinite Omnipresent Eternal Pag. 142 Chap. 5. That God is Immutable Pag. 150 Chap. 6. That God is Great in his Nature Works Authority a necessary Essence Independent wholly One. Pag. 152 Chap. 7. Of Gods Understanding that he is Omniscient and of his Will Pag. 160 Chap. 8. Of Gods Affections his Love Hatred Pag. 167 Chap. 9. Of the Affections of Anger and Clemency given to God metaphorically Pag. 170 Chap. 10. Of Gods Virtues particularly of his Goodness Pag. 172 Chap. 11. Of Gods Grace and Mercy Pag. 175 Chap. 12. Of Gods Iustice Truth Faithfulnes Pag. 181 Chap. 13. Of Gods Patience Long-suffering Holiness Kindeness Pag. 186 Chap. 14. Of Gods Power Pag. 191 Chap. 15. Of Gods Glory and Blessedness Pag. 194 Chap. 16. Of the Trinity or Distinction of Persons in the Divine Essence Pag. 204 BOOK III. Of GODS Works Chap. 1. Of Gods Decree and especially of Predestination and the parts thereof Election and Reprobation Pag. 216 Chap. 2. The Execution of Gods Decree Pag. 225 Chap. 3. Of the Creation of the Heavens the Angels the Elements Light Day and Night Pag. 233 Chap. 4. Of some of the Meteors but especially of the Clouds the Rain and the Sea the Rivers Grass Herbs and Trees Pag. 243 Chap. 5. Of the Sun Moon and Stars Pag. 258 Chap. 6. Of the Fishes Fowls Beasts Pag. 261 Chap. 7. Of the Angels good and bad Pag. 268 Chap. 8. Of Man Pag. 288 Chap. 9. Of Gods Providence Pag. 295 BOOK IV. Of the Fall of Man Of Sin Original and Actual Chap. 1. Of the Fall of Man Pag. 303 Chap. 2. What original Corruption is Pag. 308 Chap. 3. Of the propagation of original sinne and conclusions from it Pag. 313 Chap. 4. Of actual sin Pag. 315 Chap. 5. Of the evil of sin Pag. 318 Chap. 6. Of the degrees of sin Pag. 321 Chap. 7. That all sins are mortal Pag. 324 Chap. 8. Of the cause of sin Pag. 326 Chap. 9. Of the communicating with other mens sins Pag. 328 Chap. 10. Of the punishment of sin Pag.
God 2. Epicurism scoffing at Divinity 3. Heresie depraving and corrupting Divinity VI. The Excellency of Divine Knowledge or the study of Divinity appeareth in these particulars 1. In the subject Matter of it which is Divine either in its own Nature as God and Christ Psal. 70. 7. Ioh. 5. 46. or in relation to him as the Scripture Sacraments It is called The wisdom of God Prov. 2. 10. 3. 13. 1 Cor. 2. 6 7. and That wisdom which is from above Jam. 3. 17. If to know the nature of an Herb or the Sun and Stars be excellent how much more to know the Nature of God Aristotle held it a great matter to know but a little concerning the first mover and Intelligences Paul desired to know nothing but Christ and him crucified 1 Cor. 2. 2. that is he professed no other knowledge Si Christum discis satis est si caetera nescis Si Christum nescis nihil est si cetera discis In this Mystery of Christ God is revealed in the highest and most glorious way 2 Cor. 4. 6. there is more wisdom holinesse power justice discovered in the Mystery of the Gospel then was known before to men and Angels Christ is the summe of all divine revealed truths Luk. 24. 27. Acts 10. 43. Here is the onely knowledge which is necessary to make the man of God perfect Col. 2. 3. The Metaphysicks handle not things properly divinely revealed but that which the Philosophers by the light of nature judged to be Divine 2. In the End The principal and main end of Divinity is the glory of God that is the Celebration or setting forth of Gods infinite Excellency the secondary end is mans blessednesse Iohn 17. 3. 3. In the Certainty of it Gods Word is said to be sure and like Gold seven times refined there is no drosse of falshood in it The Academicks thought every thing so uncertain that they doubted of all things 4. In the Cause of it These truths are such as cannot be known but by Gods revealing them to us All Scripture was given by Divine Inspiration Flesh and bloud hath nor revealed this unto thee a humane light is enough to know other things 5. In the Holinesse of it Psal. 19. 5. By them thy servant is fore-warned 1 Tim. 3. 15. The word of God is able to make us wise to Salvation and to furnish to every good work Christ makes this a cause of the errour and wickednesse in mans life that they do not read and understand the Scriptures 6. In the Delight and Sweetnesse of it Iob 23. 12. preferred the Word of God before his food David before thousands of Gold and Silver before the honey and the honey-comb Psal. 19. 10. 119. 103. and when he ceaseth to compare he beginneth to admire Wanderfull are thy Testimonies Archimedes took great delight in the Mathematicks Augustine refused to take delight in Tullies Hortensius because the name of Jesus Christ was not there Nomen Iesu non erat ibi He saiâ—â— in his Confessions Sacrae Scripturae tuae sunt sanctae deliciae meae 7. In the Excellency of the Students of it 1. The Saints of God in the Old Testament the Patriarks and Prophets 1 Pet. 1. 10 11. 2. The Saints of God in the New Testament Matth. 11. 25. Col. 1. 27. 3. It is the study of the Angels and Saints of God sn heaven 1 Pet. 1. 12. Ephes. 3. 10. 1. The natural knowledge and enquiry of the Angels could never have discovered to them the Mystery of Christ in the Gospel 2. They know it by the Church that is saith Oecumenius by the several dispensations of God to his people under the Gospel 8. In that the Devil and Hereticks oppose it The Papists would not have the Bible translated nor Divine Service performed in the vulgar tongue CHAP. II. Of the Divine Authority of the Scriptures TWo things are to be considered in Divinity First The Rule of it the Scripture or Word of God Secondly The Matter of Parts of it concerning God and man Principium essendi in Divinity is God the first Essence Principium cognoscendi the Scripture by which we know God and all things concerning him I shall handle both these principles but begin with the Scripture as many Systematical Writers do IT is necessary that the true Religion have a rule whereby it may be squared else there could be no certainty in it but there would be as many Religions as men It appears by the light of nature the Heathen had known rules for their Rites Ceremonies and Services the Turks have their Alcoran the Iews their Talmud the Papists their Decretals every Art hath its Rule neither can any thing be a Duty which hath not a Rule There are three general Characters whereby we may know any Word to be the Word of God and a Religion to be the true Religion 1. That which doth most set forth the glory of God 2. That which doth direct us to a rule which is a perfect rule of holinesse toward God and righteousnesse toward man 3. That which shews a way sutable to Gods glory and mens necessity to reconcile us to God The word of God sets forth Gods glory in all the perfections and is a compleat rule of holinesse to God and righteousnesse to men All the wisdom of the world cannot shew what is more sutable to the glory of God and the nature of man to reconcile God and men then for him that is God and man to do it God revealed himself divers wayes to the Fathers Heb. 1. 1. The manner of revealing Gods will is three-fold according to our three instruments of conceiving viz. Understanding Phantasie and Senses to the understanding God revealed his Will by engraving it in the heart with his own finger Ier. 31. 33. by Divine inspiration 2 Pet. 1. 21. 2 Chron. 15. 1. Heb. 8. 11. Iohn 14. 26. and by intellectual Visions Numb 11. 5. to the phantasie God revealed his Will by imaginary Visions to Prophets awake and by dreams to Prophets asleep Gen. 40. 8. 41. 8 9. Acts 16. 10. 10. 3. Numb 14. 4. to the Senses God revealed his Will and that either by Vision to the Eye or lively Voice to the Ear Gen. 3. 9. 4. 6. 15. 4 5. Exod. 20. 1 2. 3. 1 2 3. 33. 17. And lastly by writing This Revelation was sometimes immediate by God himself after an unspeakable manner or by means viz. Angels Urim and Thummim Prophets Christ himself and his Apostles The written Word for the Matter contained in it is called The word of God Rom. 9 6 for the manner of Record The Scripture John 10. 35. 2 Tim. 3. 16. 1 Pet. 2. 6. or Scriptures Matth. 22. 29. John 5. 39. Rom. 15. 4. 2 Pet. 3. 16. By an Antonomasie or an excellency of phrase as the most worthy writings that ever saw the light sometimes with an
could ever have found out such an admirable temper and mixture of Mercy and Justice together as the Gospel revealeth in the reconciliation of God with man God hath declared himself to be most just yet most merciful Rom. 3. 24 25 26 Justice requires that there should be no freeing of a guilty person without satisfaction sinne deserved an infinite punishment that satisfaction could not be made by man himself mercy therefore provides a Saviour which God bestows on him vers 25. God in giving and establishing his Law useth no other Preface but I am the Lord Exod. 20. nor Conclusion but I the Lord have spoken it upon his absolute authority without other reasons to perswade commanding what is to be done though it be contrary to our natures forbidding what is to be left undone though pleasing to us he promiseth things incomprehensible requiring Faith he relateth and teacheth things strange above likelihood above mans capacity and yet will have them to be believed to be understood There is nothing in the Law against reason or common equity A Jesuite reports in his History that when his fellows came first to preach in the East-Indies the Gentiles and Indies there hearing the ten Commandments did much commend the equity of them See Sr Walter Rawleighs History 2. It teacheth the Nature and Excellency of God and the Works of God more clearly and distinctly than any other writings nay then any without God could have contrived viz. That there are three Persons and one God that God is Infinite Omniscient Omnipotent most Holy that he created all things that he doth by a particular Providence rule all things that he observes all mens actions and will call them to account and give every man according to his works that he alone is to be worshipped and that he must be obeyed in his Word above all creatures 3. It requireth the most exact and perfect goodnesse that can be such as no man could ever have conceited in his brain and yet such as being taught and revealed the conformity of it to right reason will enforce any well-considering man to acknowledge it to be most true and needful for example that a man must love God above all and his neighbour as himself that he must keep his thoughts free from all the least taint of sinne that he must lay up his treasures in Heaven not care for this life and the things thereof but all his study and labour must be to provide well for himself against the future life that he must not at all trust in himself nor in any man but only in God and that he must do all he doth in Gods strength that he can deserve nothing at Gods hand but must look for all of free favour through the merits and intercession of another 4. The end of the Scripture is Divine viz. The glory of God shining in every syllable thereof and the salvation of man not temporal but eternal These writings leade a man wholly out of himself and out of the whole world and from and above all the creatures to the Creator alone to give him the glory of all victories therefore they are from him and not from any creature for he that is the Author of any writing will surely have most respect of himself in that writing The Scriptures manifest Gods glory alone Ier. 9. 23 24. 1 Cor. 1. 31. ascribe infinitenesse of being and all perfections to him Nehem. 9. 6. The Doctrines Precepts Prohibitions and Narrations tend to the setting forth of his glory and bring solid and eternal comfort and salvation to their souls which follow their direction They make us wise unto salvation 2 Tim. 3. 15 23. Shew the path of life Psal. 16. 11. Guide our feet into the way of peace Luk. 1. 79. Christ Iohn 7. 18. proves that he came from God because he sought not his own glory but the glory of him that sent him 5. Another reason is taken from the difference of these writings from all other whatsoever in regard of their phrase and manner of writing There is a certain authoritative or God-like speaking unto the creature from place to place See the first Chapter of Isaiah and 53. and the eighth Chapter to the Romans The Prophets and Apostles propound divine truths nakedly and without affectation 1 Cor. 2. 1. Habent sacrae Scripturae sed non ostendunt eloquentiam August They expresse the things they handle with a comely gravity the form of speech is fitted both to the dignity of the speaker the nature of the thing revealed and mans capacity for whose sake it was written All other Writings use perswasive and flourishing speeches these command and condemn all other Gods all other Religions all other Writings and command these only to be had in request and esteem and acknowledged as the will of God without adding or diminishing requiring every conscience to be subject to them and to prepare himself to obedience without any further objecting or gain-saying and to seek no further then to them for direction Both the Simplicity and Majesty of stile shew it to be from God the wonderfull plainnesse and yet glorious Majesty the Simplicity because it is plain in no wise deceitful and because it describes great matters in words familiar and obvious to the capacity of the Reader the Majesty since it teacheth so perspicuouslâ— the chiefest mysteries of Faith and divine Revelation which are above humane capacity Whether we read David Isaiah or others whose stile is more sweet pleasant and â—hetorical or Amos Zachary and Ieremiah whose stile is more rude every where the Majesty of the Spirit is apparent There is an Authority and Majesty in them above all other Writings of other Authors the Scriptures command all both King and People Ier. 13. 18. 1 Sam. 12. ult and binde the heart to its good abearing Ierom could say As oft as I read Paul it seems to me that they are not words but thunders which I hear Iunius reading the first Chapter of Iohn was stricken with amazement by a kinde of Divine and stupendious Authority and so he was converted from Atheism as himself saith in his life Divinitatem argumenti authoritatem sentio Iohannes Isaac a Jew was converted by reading the 53. of Isaiah Our Saviour spakâ— As one having Authority not as the Scribes So this book speaks not as men it simply affirms all things without proof other Authoâ—s use many Arguments to confirm the truth of what they say Therefore Raimundus de Sabunda hence proves That he who speaketh in the Bible is of that Authority that his bare word ought to be believed without any proof whereas Galen Atheistically urged it the other way The Socinians reject all things in Religion which they cannot comprehend by reason Nihil credendum quod ratione capi nequeat They hold That a man is not bound to believe any Article of Faith nor any Interpretation of
Argument then the testimony of the Church which say they doth infallibly propound unto us what is to be believed what is not to be believed and Hermanus saith That the Scripture is no more worth then Aesops Fables without the testimony of the Church As in other Sciences there are alwaies some principles per se nota indemonstrabilia whence other things are proved so in Divinity all conclusions in point of belief and practice are proved by the Scripture The Scriptures prove themselves by their own natural light manifesting their divine original whence they are and their right meaning how they must be understood They are like light primum visibile which maketh all other things manifest and it self too by its own proper qualities 1. The Church rather depends on the Scripture which is an object not principle of Divinity the Church ought to be subject to Christ Ephes. 5. 24. the Scripture is the word of Christ Col. 3. 16. 2. All the words of the Scripture are words of truth Dan. 10. 21. some words of the Church are words of error Isa. 1. 21 24. 3. 8 9. 5. 13. But the authority of him that speaks alwaies truth is greater then of him who sometimes lies Ergo The Authority of the Scripture is greater then that of the Church Goodnesse it self cannot deceive wisdom it self cannot be deceived God is both Tit. 1. 2. The voice of the Scripture is the voice of God 2 Tim. 3. 16. but the voice of the Church is the voice of men Act. 14. 14. 15. 17. 17. 30. 3. Faith and a firm consolation in temptations ought to relie on a sure that is a divine foundation for every humane testimony is uncertain 4. In vain shall we dispute against the wicked concerning Religion and Divine truth if we shall say it comes from God because we affirm so 5. This is proved by Scriptures Iohn 5. 34 35. Christ in his Humiliation did not receive the testimony of Iohn much lesse will he receive the testimony of others now he is glorified Ioh. 5. 34 35 36. 1 Cor. 2. 4 5. 1 Ioh. 5. 9. 6. The Authority proving is greater more certain and more known then the conclusion proved by the same Authoritas probans is greater then probata The Papists to prove the Authority of the Church flie to the Scriptures For I demand Whence do we understand that the Church erres not in delivering the Canon of the Scripture they answer It is governed by the Holy Ghost and therefore cannot erre in it's decrees But how appears it that it is so governed alwaies They answer God hath promised it and then they alledge those places to prove it Obj. 1. The Church is ancienter then the Scripture because it was before Moses Ergo It hath greater Authority Ans. 1. The Prophets and Iohn Baptist were ancienter then Christ yet not of greater Authority 2. Consider the Word 1. Quoad formale externum as written and cloathed with words so the Church was before the Scripture 2. Quoad formale internum the matter and sense or meaning so the Scripture was more ancient than the Church because the Church is gathered and governed by it 1 Pet. 1 23. Ioh. 17. 20. Iam. 1 18. Semen semper sobole illa cujus est sâ—men antiquius esse necâ—sse est In the thing it self the being and substance of the Word was before the Church although in this circumstance and manner of being it was after Obj. 2. Non crederem Evangelio nisi me commoveret Ecclesiae Catholicae Authoritas saith Augustine Ans. These words saith Whitaker are so well known to the Papists that one can hardly exchange three words with them but they will produce them It is true indeed that we may at the first be much moved to receive and hearken to the Scriptures because the Church gives testimony of them as the woman of Samaria by her speeches of Christ was a means of moving the Samaritans to believe but when the men of Samaria had heard Christ himself speak They believed in him more for his own words then the womans Iohn 4. 39 41. In which sense those words of Augustine so frequently quoted by the Papists are to be interpreted Augustine spake this of himself being a Manichee when he was a Manichee he was first moved by the Authority of the Church to believe the Gospel His meaning is that he had uever believed the Gospel if the Authority of the Church had not been an introduction unto him not that his faith rested upon it as a final stay but that it caused him so farre to respect the Word of the Gospel to listen unto it and with a kinde of acquisite and humane faith to believe it that he was thereby fitted to a better illumination by force whereof he might more certainly believe it to be of God But that the testimony of one Father in one place in a matter of such consequence should be of that force it is strange We deny not the Ministery of the Church as an external means to move us to imbrace the Word of God but we deny the Authority of the Church to be the principal means When we call the Scriptures Canonical we call them not so passively because they are received into the Canon by men and accepted of but actively because they prescribe a Canon and Rule to us The Office of the Church in respect of the Scripture stands in four things 1. To distinguish Canonical Scripture from that which is not Canonical although the determination of the Church be not the only or chiefest cause why the Apocrypha are rejected 2. To be a faithful keeper of those Books which are inspired by God like a notary which keepeth publick writings 3. To publish declare and teach the truth as a Crier with a loud voice ought to pronounce the Kings Edicts but to pretermit adde or alter nothing Matth. 28. 19 20. Acts 8. 35. 1 Tim. 3. 15. This Church here is not that Church which the Papists make to be the Judge of controversies neither the Church representative which is a general Councel nor the Church virtual which they imagine to be the Pope but the Church Essential the Congregation of all faithfull believers The house of God as he calleth it The Apostle here speaks of a pillar not more Architectonico understanding by it some essential piece of the building but more forensi such a post or pillar on which Tables and Proclamations use to hang. In old time the Gentiles used to write their Laws in Tables and so hang them upon pillars of stone that the people might read them as Proclamations are nailed to Posts in Market Towns The Apostle describing the Church likeneth it to one of these Pillars whose use was to shew what hung thereon It is a Pillar not because it holds up but holds forth the truth as
most unjust means extort money from Gojim that is the Gentiles Paulus Fagius in his Annotat. on Deut. 17. 17. Scripture Arguments are the chiefest to convince an unbeliever Christ by divers Arguments Iohn 5. labours to convince the Jews that he was the Messiah promised 1. Iohn bare witnesse of him vers 33. 2. His works bare witnesse of him verse 36. 3. The Father did bear witnesse of him vers 37. 4. He produceth the Testimony of the Scriptures vers 39. They are they which testifie of me Will you not believe Iohn my miracles my Word from Heaven then believe the written Word If we believe not the Testimomy of Scripture nothing will convince us though one rise from the dead nor Christ himself if he were here in the flesh and should preach unto us Ioh. 5. ult The Lord in executing of his Judgements commmonly observes proportion and retaliation Antichrist is the greatest opposite to Gods Law and Word he is called therefore 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Thess. 2. 8. The lawlesse one He is without Law above Law against Law He abuseth Scripture takes upon him to judâ—â— and interpret Scripture therefore it shall be his ruine 2 Thess. 2. 8. God shall destroy him with the Spirit of his mouth id est Verbo suo Beza God hath consecrated the Word to this purpose the end of it is not only to save but destroy being the savour of death to some and it is a fit instrument for such a work Antichrists strength is in mens consciences only this will pierce thither Heb. 4. 12. God useth the Word for the destruction of Antichrist these wayes 1. It discovers him his doctrine his errors 2. It hardens him 3. It condemneth him and passeth sentence against him CHAP. III. II. The Books of Scripture FRom the Divine â—lows the Canonical Authority of the Scripture The books of Scripture are called Canonical books say some from the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which word is used 2 Cor. 10. 13. Phil. 3. 16. Gal. 6. 16. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 mark the double Emphasis this notable Canon because they were put into the Canon by the Universal Church and acknowledged to be divinely inspired by it and also are made a perfect Canon or Rule of all Doctrine concerning Religion Credendorum agendorum of Faith and Manners of all things which are to be believed or done toward salvation But Cameron thinks it is not termed Canonical because it is a Rule for that book saith he is called Canonical which is put into the Catalogue which the Ancients called a Canon of those writings which are esteemed Divine Becanus saith They are called Canonical both because they contain a Rule which we ought to follow in faith and manners and because they are put into the Catalogue of Divine books The Conditions of a Canon are these 1. It must contain Truth or be an expresse Form and Image of Truth which is in the Divine minde 2. It must be commanded sanctified and confirmed by Divine Authority that it may be a Canon to us in the Church These books were sanctified either commonly all of both Testaments by the Testimony of the Spirit and Church and Canon it self or the books of the Old Testament were specially and singularly confirmed by Word Signs and Event as the Pentateuch but the Prophetical books and Hagiographa before their carrying into Babylon by extraordinary sign the Cloud and Veil in the Temple 1 King 8. 10. Levit. 16. 2. and Gods answer by Ephod Urim and Thummim Exod. 28. 30. after their carrying away into Babylon by singular testimonies of events The books of the New Testament are confirmed by the Son of God revealed in flesh by his sayings and deeds Heb. 1. 2. and by the powerful Ministry of the Apostles by Signs Vertues and Miracles Mark 16. 20. There is a three-fold Canon in the Church Divine Ecclesiasticall and False The Divine Canon is that which properly and by it self is called the Word of God immediately inspired of God into the Prophets and Apostles This according to the divers times of the Church is distinguished into the Old and New Testament 2 Cor. 3. 6 14. this is a common division of the sacred Bible among Christians as in the version of Tremellius and Iunius Testamenti veteris novi Biblia sacra and the Geneva gives that Title to their Bible La Bible qui est toute la Saincte Escriture du viâ—l noveau Testament Augustine thinks they are better called Vetus novum Instrumentum Heinsius Grotius Vetus novum Foedus Vide Grotii Annotat. in libros Evangelii A Covenant is an Agreement between two a Testament is the Declaration of the Will of one It is called in regard of the Form Convention and Agreement between God and man a Covenant in regard of the manner of confirming it a Testament For 1. In a Testament or last Will the Testators minde is declared so is the Will of God in his Word therefore it is called a Testimony often Psal. 19. and 119. 2. Here is a Testator Christ a Legacy eternal life Heirs the Elect a Writing the Scripture Seals the Sacraments 3. Because it is ratified by the death of Christ Heb. 9. 16 17. The Books of the Old Testament are the holy Scriptures given by God to the Church of the Jews shewing them what to believe and how God would be worshipped The New Testament containeth the books which treat of salvation already exhibited and Christ already come in the flesh All the books of the Old Testament were written originally in Hebrew because they were committed unto the Hebrews Rom. 3. 2. except what Daniel and Ezra wrote in the Chaldee The Jewish Church receiving them from God kept them and delivered them to Posterity Many grave Authors hold That the Hebrew was the first Tongue and Mother of all the rest and it may probably be collected from the names of our first Parents It was called Hebrew saith Erpenius not from Heber of the Posterity of Shem as Iosephus Ierom and others think when it is manifest that he rather spake Chaldee then Hebrew because Abraham the Patriarch which drew his original from him was a Chaldean but it was so called saith Erpenius as all the Rabbins Origen and others testifie from the Hebrews which people arose from Canaan It is honoured with the Title of the Holy Tongue saith the same Erpenius because the most holy God spoke it to his Prophets delivered his holy Will written in it to the Church and because it is very probable from the opinion of great men that holy men shall use it with God hereafter in Heaven Vide Buxtorfium de Linguae Hebraeae origine Antiquitate Sanctitate There are many Hebraisms also in the New Testament many words and phrases rather used according to the manner of the Hebrews then the Greeks by which it is manifest that the same Spirit was
for leaving out that Title in our English Bibles for it is well known that that Title is not given by the holy Ghost but by the Scholiast who took it from Eusebius General is a meer English term and of no doubtfull signification Catholick is both Greek and by their saying of double and therefore doubtfull signification The Syriack Interpreter hath this Inscription of these Epistles as Tremellius sheweth Tres Epistolae trium Apostolorum ante quorum oculos Dominus noster se transformavit id est Iacobi Petri Ioannis For the Syrians doe not esteem the second of Peter nor the second and third of Iohn nor the Epistle of Iude Canonical The Apostles Iames Peter Iohn and Iude have publisht seven Epistles as mystical as succinct both short and long short in words long in sense and meaning Iames For the difference which seems to be between Iam. 2. 21 22. and Rom. 4. 2. and 3. 28. most likely this Book was doubted of in ancient times as Eusebius and Ierom witnesse But yet then also publickly allowed in many Churches and ever since received in all out of which for the same cause Luther and other of his followers since him would again reject it Erasmus assents to Luther and Musculus agrees with them both in his Comment upon the fourth of the Romans both they of the Romish and we of the Reformed Church with one consent admit this Epistle for Canonical Vide Polani Syntagma I light upon an old Dutch Testament of Luthers Translation saith Whiâ—akâ—r against Raynolds with his Preface wherein he writeth that Iames his Epistle is not so worthy as are the Epistles of St Peter and Paul but in respect of them a strawen Epistle his censure I mislike and himself I think afterwards seeing these words in a later Edition are left out It is no where found in Luthers Works that he called the Epistle of Iames Inanem stramineam Edmund Campian was convicted of falshood about that in England where when he had objected that he could finde no such thing at any time in the Books he produced Some in the Preface of the German Edition say that Luther wrote that it cannot contend in dignity with the Epistles of Paul and Peter but is strawy if it be compared with them Which judgement of Luther we approve not of and it is hence manifest that it was disliked by him because these words are found in no other Edition from the year 1526. Luthers disciples now hold that it is Canonical and Apostolical and they answer the Arguments of those that are opposite thereto as we may see in the Exposition of that Article concerning the Scripture by that most learned and diligent man Iohn Gerard. Gravitatem ac zelum Apostolicum per omnia prae se fâ—rt saith Walther We may reply against the Papists who often object this opinion of Luthers that Cajetan their Cardinal denieth the Epistle to the Hebrews to be Canonical yea which is farre worse he affirmeth that the Author thereof hath erred not only in words but in the sense and meaning of the Scriptures Nay Cajâ—tan saith Whitaker rejected Iames second of Peter and second and third of Iohn and Iude. It consists of five Chapters Paraeus Laurentius Brochmand and Mr Manton have done best on it First of Peter This Epistle is called in the Title Catholical because it is not written to any one person as that of Paul to Timothy Titus and Philemon noâ— to any one particular Church as those of Paul to the Romans Corinths but to the converted of the Jews dispersed here and there as appears by the inscription It consists of five Chapters Gerhard Laurentius Gomarus and Dr Ames have expounded both these Epistles Bifield hath interpreted part of the first Epistle Second of Peter Some in the Primitive Church doubted of its authority and the Syriack hath it not but the Church generally allowed it and many reasons may perswade that it is Apostolical and was written by Peter 1. Because the Author of it expresly calleth himself Simon Peter the Apostle of Jesus Christ. He wrote it in his old-age to confirm them in the Doctrine which before he had taught them 2. It s inscription is to the same Jews that the former viz. dispersed by the Roman Empire and converted to Christ whose Apostle Peter was 3. It shews an Apostolical spirit 4. It s style and composition is agreeable to the former Epistle 5. The Author of this Epistle witnesseth that he was a spectator of the Transfiguration in the Mount Chap. 1. vers 16. now Peter together with Iames and Iohn were present with Christ. 6. He makes mention of the Former Epistle Chap. 3. v. 1. 7. He cals Paul his dear Brother Chap. 3. v. 15. It consists of three Chapters First of Iohn consists of five Chapters Second and third of Iohn They were also in times past doubted of by some as Erasmus Cajetan but there are good reasons to prove them Canonical 1. Their Author cals himself an Elder so doth Peter 1 Pet. 5. 1. by which name an Ecclesiastical Office is often signified but here age rather now it is manifest that Iohn came to a greater age then the rest of the Apostles 2. The salutation is plainly Apostolical Grace mercy and peace 3. In sentences and words they agree with the first Epistle 4. The Fathers alledge them for Iohns and reckon them among the Canonical Books Each of these Epistles is but a Chapter Iude This Epistle also in times past was questioned by some but that it is Apostolical first the inscription shews the Author expresly cals him a servant of Christ and brother of Iames. 2. The matter it agreeth both for words and sentences with the second of Peter of which it contains as it were a brief summe and recapitulation That the writer of the Epistle doth not call himself an Apostle is of no moment to infringe the authority thereof for the judgement of the writer is free in that case that Title was specially used by Paul and Peter Iames and Iohn quit the same Title yea Paul in his Epistles to the Philippians Thessalonians and Philemon doth not call himself an Apostle and yet those Epistles were never doubted of It is but one Chapter Willet and Mr Perkins have done well on it Revelation It is called according to the Greek Apocalyps and according to the Latine Revelation that is a discovery or manifestation of things which before were hidden and secret for the common good of the Church Eusebius l. 3. c. 17. saith Domitian cast Iohn the Evangelist into a fornace of scalding Oyl but when he saw he came forth unhurt he banished him into the Isle Pathmos where he writ this Revelation This Book describeth the state of the Church from the time of Iohn the last of the Apostles untill Christs coming again and especially the proceedings pride and fall of
Scripture were not inspired of God for as God is true so is his Word Ioh. 17. 17. sweetly agreeing with it self and every part with other these Books commend false things as true and approve things evil as right Iudith Chap. 9. v. 2. commends killing the Sichemites against Gen. 49. 6 7. 2 Maccab. 14 42. Razis is commended for killing himself the fact is not only related but commended also in these words nobly manfully and this commendation doth plainly shew that the Author thereof was not inspired of God When the Dâ—natists out of this Book urged that it was lawful for them to kill themselves as Razis did Augustine then was forced to acknowledge That the Authority of this Book was uncertain and questionable and proves it by the judgement of the Jewish Church Christ and the Christians Manifest Fables are told in some of them for true Histories as that of Toby Iudith Bel and the Dragon If any desire a particular confutation of the several Books of the Apocrypha I commend to his reading that learned Treatise of Dr Raynolds de libris Apocryphis who hath so exactly handled this subject that to write of it after him were to write Iliads after Homer or to draw a line after Apelles 5. The most ancient Fathers and Councels which lived the best and first five hundred years after Christ rejected the same Books which we doe Ierome on Matth. 23. saith concerning a Testimony cited out of the Apocrypha Hoc quoniam ex Scriptura nihil habet authoritatis eadem facilitate rejicitur qua profertur Because this hath no authority out of Scripture it may as easily be rejected as it is offered All that the Papists object for these Books in the general is That the third Councel at Carthage the Florentire Councel and that of Trent do approve the said Books to be Canonical as also Augustine and Innocentius To which it may be answered 1. That the Councel of Carthage was but a Provincial Councel and therefore it cannot binde the whole world Moreover in that Councel there are divers things which the Papists will not endure as in the 26 Canon there is a Decree that no Bishop shall be called chief or universal Bishop no not the Bishop of Rome how should the Papists binde us with the authority of that Councel with which they will not binde themselves 2. The Latine Fathers judged these Books fit to be read for example of life and instruction of manners but not for confirmation of faith or establishing any Doctrine 3. These Books are not Proto-canonical truly and properly Canonical inspired by God containing the immediate and unchangeable truth of God sanctified by him and given to the Church to be a perfect rule of sound doctrine and good life but Deutero-canonical or rather Ecclesiastical as they are styled In this sense Augustine and Innocentius are to be taken when they reckon these Books among the Canonicall 4. No Councel hath Authority to define what Books are Canonicall what not seeing Books truely Divine receive Authority from God himself and are to be esteemed of undoubted truth although all the world should bark against them These two Councels are of too late standing to oppose against the other ancient Councels which reject these Books The Councel of Trent was gathered and kept against all Civil and Ecclesiastical Right neither was there any forme of justice observed in it 1. It was not kept in a lawfull place for whereas it was intended against the Protestants and the Germans were the parties accused it ought to have been kept in Germany according to the request exhibited by the Body of the States of Germany assembled at Noremberg this equity was not observed the parties accused being called into Italy 2. In that Councel matters were concluded and the sentence passed the adversary not being heard speak nor so much as present for the Protestants might not be admitted to hearing neither could they obtain to propound their opinion in the Councel much lesse to avouch it by lawfull reasoning Sleidan fol. 29. and yet were condemned against Divine and Humane Law for they both forbid the condemning of any before he have lawfull liberty granted him to plead for himself 3. In that Councel the Accuser and Judge were the same for the Pope did accuse the Protestants of Heresie he did convocate the Councel he by his Delegates was President and Moderator in it and so together was Accuser Judge and Witnesse whereas the Reformation of the Pope was the thing in question Lastly All Councels ought to be free but in this Protestants might not propound their cause nor defend it neither might any thing be proposed but according to the minde of the Legates or otherwise then they approved no man had any voice in the Councel but such as were sworn to the Pope nothing was there determined which was not first concluded of at Rome by the Pope in the Colledge of Cardinals and sent from Rome to Trent whereupon this Proverb arose Spiritum Sanctum Roma per peram mitti Tridentum The holy Ghost came to Trent packt up in a Cloke-bag We hope therefore since the Apocrypha are justly rejected out of the Canon that hereafter they will neither have the honour to be bound with our Bibles nor read in our Churches The Apocrypha was never received by the Church of the Israelites before Christ his coming nor of the Apostolick and Primitive Church for more then three hundred years after as both Eusebius out of Origen and the Councel of Laodicea Can. 59. confirmed afterward by the sixth general Councel of Constantinople sheweth for the Greek Church and St Ierom for the Latine CHAP. VI. Of the Authentical Edition of the Scripture NOw we must enquire which is the Authentical Edition of holy Scriptures it being necessary that this heavenly truth committed to writing should be delivered in some form of words and in some language which may be understood Lawyers from whom the use of the word Authentick seemeth borrowed do call those instruments and writings Authentick which have a certain and just authority in themselves A Book or writing is Authentick either by Divine or humane institution those are by Divine Appointment and Institution authentical which have from God sufficient and absolute Authority to command and approve themselves worthy credit and faith in as much as God himself doth approve them by humane Institution such writings are held authentical which by the opinion and sentence of learned men in their several professions may be esteemed worthy credit and belief for themselves and for the truth in them There is a great diversity of Editions of holy Scripture all cannot be simply and perpetually Authentical in of and for themselves without reference unto another no more then many draughts of the same Lease or Deed or copy of one pardon can be Some amongst many are authentick whence the others are transcribed yea
since Tabitha Kumi Eloi Eloi Lammasabachthani Bethesda Gabbatha Golgotha Aceldama are meer Syriack yet the Evangelists often call it Hebrew because it was the language of the Hebrews Iohn 5. 2. and 19. 13 16. Acts 21. 40. and 22. 2. and 26. 14. The Arabick Translation It is uncertain by whom it was made or when sure it is they had the Scriptures in their own Tongue and it were to be wished that that Tongue were more common and better understood that Religion might be spread amongst the Saracens which for the most part speak that Language In the year 1592. the New Testament in Arabick was first divulged at Rome The Arabick Tongue saith Walter is thought to be a Branch of the Chaldee and Syriack proceeding from both but that it exceeds them in six letters there being eight and twenty in the Arabick Tongue It was in use anciently with the Ishmaelites and Hagarens who drew their original from Abraham and afterward would rather be called Saracens from Sarah It is now used thorow all Asia and Africa Mahumed who descended from the Ishmaëlitish Nation wrote his wicked and blasphemous Alcoran in this Tongue Erpenius who was excellently skill'd in this Tongue saith It is more necessary and excellent then either the Syriack Aethiopick Persian or Turkish Language he extols it for its Antiquity Largenesse Elegancy and Profit The Arabians saith he have many more accurate for Geography then Ptolomy Avicenna and other famous Physicians have written in this Tongue He saith thirty two thousand of Arabick Books were to be had in one Library in Mauritania Ioseph Scaliger Raphelengius Isaac Casaubone Emmanuel Tremellius and Franciscus Iunius all learned men of special note much esteemed this tongue and promoted the study of it as their writings shew Mercer who was most versed in the Hebrew and Chaldee tongues in his old age a little before he dyed thought to have travelled into the east onely out of a desire to learn the Arabick tongue The Latine translations were so many that Augustine saith they could not be numbred That new version of Tremellius and Iunius both is best for the old Testament and that of Erasmus and Beza for the new Testament See in Chamiers first Tome l. 12. c. 1. his censure of all three There is a great use also of the Interlineary version put forth by Arias Montanus for the finding out the sense and genuine signification of all the Hebrew and Greek words Amongst many and divers Latine Translations there was one more common then the rest of the old and new Testament usually called the vulgar because it was of vulgar use and received by many Who was the Author of this Edition it is not manifest Some say it was more Antient then that of Ierome Ierome wrote pure Latine being skilful in the Latine tongue but the vulgar Translation is barbarous in many places therefore Pagnine Maldonate Estius Sixtus Senensis Burgensis Valla Lindan deny it to be Ieromes that was translated from the Hebrew by the Greek and not by â—erome but by some uncertain and unknown Author saith Whitaker Bootius in the Index of his Sacred Animadversions ascribes it to Ierome The Geneva translation for the French and our last translation for the English and Deodate for the Italian are the best which is now set out in English Diodatus noster in eximia Bibliorum Iâ—alicorum versione saith Spanhemius The question betwixt us and the Papists now cometh to be considered which of these Editions is Authentical that is which of it self hath credit and authority being sufficient of it self to prove and commend it self without the help of any other Edition because it is the first exemplar or Copy of divine truth delivered from God by the Prophets and Apostles This in respect of the old Testament is the Hebrew and in some Chapters of Daniel and Ezra the Chaldee and in respect of the New Testament is the Greek all other Editions are but of humane authority This proposition true in it self is yet divers ways opposed by the Papists whose opinions may be set down in three propositions 1. That the Hebrew and Greek Text are corrupt and therefore not Authentical for the fountain is to be preferred before the streams if it come unto our hands uncorruptly The Book of Moses which by Gods Commandment was preserved in the Ark and that very Gospel written by Matthew Those autographs saith Morinus are certainly the rule of all versions The second proposition is That the 70 Translaters were not so much Translators as Prophets who wrote by Divine inspiration so that their translation had been authentique if it had come to our hands and had not perished The third is That the vulgar Translation is of authentique authority and ought so to be received neither may any man presume to reject it upon any pretence They say it hanged between the Hebrew and Greek as Christ did between the two Theeves To these three propositions we oppose three which are most true and shall prevail 1. The Hebrew of the Old Testament and the Greek of the New is the authentique Edition and the pure fountain of divine truth 2. The 70 were not Prophets but Translators 3. The vulgar translations neither is authentique nor perfect neither ought it in any case so to be esteemed Reasons proving that the Hebrew of the Old Testament and the Greek of the New are authentical and pure To prove our first proposition these Arguments may be brought 1. The Hebrew of the Old and Greek of the New Testament are the very Scriptures which came immediately from God the very particular and individual writings both for Character and stile of speech yea the dialect as well as the matter of them is immediately by inspiration from above and written by holy men as they were moved by the holy spirit what Edition therefore is worthy to be compared to this When we speak of the original and authentick Text of the holy Scripture that is not to be so understood as if we meant it of the Autographs written by the hand of Moses or the other Prophets or Apostles but onely of the original or the primogenial Text in that tongue out of which divers versions were derived according to the variety of tongues 2. For a long time before the Birth of Christ the Hebrew was not onely the alone Authentique Copy but the onely Edition which was extant in the world In the days of Moses the Kings of Israel and the Prophets before the Captivity what Edition of Scripture had the Church but the Hebrew what did the Jews read in their Synagogues and in their Solemn Meetings but onely this Hebrew Edition After the time of Christ for the space of 600 years the Hebrew Edition of the Old Testament and the Greek of the New were held Authentique and no other 3. If any thing be erroneous doubtful less emphatical or improper
or if in the Articles of Religion any doubt or difficulty arise which cannot be decided out of Translations we must necessarily then have recourse to the Hebrew of the old and the Greek of the new Testament as Augustine witnesseth and Ierome in lib. Contra Helvidium Bellarmine grants that sometimes we must have recourse to the Hebrew and Greek fountains 1. When in the Latine Edition there be any errors of the Scribe 2. When there are divers readings 3. When there is any thing doubtful in the words or sentence 4. To understand the force and Energy of the word because all things are more emphatical in the Original 4. If the authority of the authentical Copies in Hebrew Chaldee and Greek fall then there is no pure Scripture in the Church of God there is no High Court of Appeal where controversies rising upon the diversity of translations or otherwise may be ended The exhortation of having recourse unto the Law and to the Prophets and of our Saviour Christ asking how it is written and how readest thou is now either of none effect or not sufficient The Papists differ among themselves in this controversie about the corruption of the originals Some of them say That the Hebrew of the Old and the Greek of the New Testament is not generally corrupted and yet is not so very pure a fountain that whatsoever differs from it is necessarily to be corrected by it Others say That the Jews in hatred of the Christian faith depraved and much corrupted the Hebrew Text of the Old Testament Which opinion as absurd is rejected by Bellarmine and is easily refuted I shall first lay down some reasons against the grosser opinion and also that of of Bellarmines before I come to Answer the particular Objections of the Papists 1. Ierome and Origen thus argue if the Jews corrupted the Hebrew Text of the Old Testament then they did this before the coming of Christ or after it Not before his coming for there was no cause why the Jews should do it and our Saviour Christ would never have suffered so gross a crime to have passed without due reproof when he was not silent for lesser faults On the contrary our Saviour sendeth us to the Scripture to learn the Doctrine of salvation Luke 16. 29. and proveth his Doctrine out of Moses and the Prophets Not after Christs coming then the Testimonies cited by Christ and his Apostles would have been expunged by them and the special prophesies concerning Christ but they are all extant The Jews have and yet still do keep the holy Text of Scripture most religiously and carefully which may appear since as Iohannes Isaac contra Lindan l. 2. a learned Jew writeth that there are above 200 arguments against the Jews opinion more evident and express in the Hebrew Text of the Old Testment then there be in the Latine translation From the days of our Saviour Christ until this time the Jews keep the Scripture with so great reverence saith the same Isaac ut jejunium indicunt si illa in terram ceciderit they publish a fast if it fall upon the ground This Testimony of Isaac Levita is the more to be esteemed because he was Lindans own Master and professor of the Hebrew Tongue in the University of Coolen and hath written three Books in the defence of the Hebrew truth against the cavils of his Scholar Arias Montanus for his rare skill of Tongues and Arts was put in trust by King Philip to set forth the Bible in Hebrew Greek and Latine wherein he hath reproved that Treatise of Lindan and disclosed his folly Muis who hath written a Commentary on the Psalms a great Hebrician and learned Papist hath written against Morinus about this subject The most learned Papists Senensis Bannes Lorinus Pagnine Marinus Brixianus Valla Andradius Bellarmine and Genebrard hold That the Jews did not maliciously corrupt the Hebrew Text. Iosephus l. 1. contra Appian who lived after our Saviour saith That the Jews did keep the holy Scripture with so great fidelity that they would rather dye then change or alter any thing in it Euseb. Eccles. Hist l. 3. cap. 10. teacheth the same thing The Stupendious diligence of the Massorites in numbering of the words and letters with the variations of pointing and writing least any place or suspition should be given of falsifying it seems to be a good plea also against the Jews wilful depraving of Scripture Paulo post Hieronymmm confecta est Masora quam utilissimum thesaurum Arias appellat Chamierus Masora opus immensum Herculeo labore elaboratum quo omnia Scripturae vocabula syllabae litterae apices numerantur illud Rabbini usitata appellatione Legis vocant sepimentum Dilher Elect. l. 1. c. 22. Vide Muis de Heb. edit Author ac verit If Origen or Ierome the two chiefest Hebricians among the Fathers had had the least suspicion of this they would never have bestowed so much time in the learning of this tongue nor have taken such indefatigable pains in translating the Bibles out of Hebrew Yet Morinus would seem to give answer to this viz. That we might convince the Jews out of their own Books Ierome doth in a thousand places call it the Hebrew truth fontem limpidissimum and prefers it before the Translation of the Septuagint and all other versions whatsoever He calls the Hebrew in the Old and Greek in the New Testament Fontes veritatis Farther if the Jews would have corrupted the Scripture they could not for the Books were dispersed throughout the whole world how could the Jews then being so far dispersed themselves confer together and corrupt them all with one consent The Books were not onely in the hands of the Jews but of Christians also and in their custody and they would never have suffered the Books of the Old Testament which are the foundation of faith and life to be corrupted Adde if the Jews would have corrupted the Scripture they would have corrupted those places which make most against them concerning Christs person and office as that prophesie of Dan. 9. of the Messiahs coming before the destruction of Ierusalem that Hag. 2. 9. which setteth out the glory of the second Temple to be greater then the glory of the first in regard of the presence of the Lord in it that Gen. 49. 10. Who is such a stranger in the Jewish controversies as to be ignorant how stoutly and pertinaciously many of the Jews deny that by Shiloh there is understood the Messias but the three fold paraphrase there hath expresly added the word Messias and stops the mouthes of the Jews who must not deny their authority so that they fear nothing more then to contest with those Christians who read and understand the Chaldee Paraphrases and interpretations of the Rabbines See Mr. Mede on that Text. Psalm 2. 12. where the vulgar Latine hath apprehendite disciplinam quae lectio nihil magnificum de
have defended the Antiquity of the pricks which to the Hebrews are in stead of vowels and say that the Bibles were punctata in our Saviour Christs time and that he approved of the same Matth. 5. 18. Others hold That the invention of the pricks and the Massoreth is to be ascribed to the Tyberian Massorites who flourished about five hundred years after Christs birth This opinion divers learned men have defended with most weighty reasons as Martinius in Technologia Luther Mercer Scaliger and Drusius Calvin upon Zach. 11. Zuinglius in his Preface on Isaiah Raynolds in his censure of the Apocryphal Books But above all Capellus in his Book entituled Arcanum punctationis revelatum hath so strongly confirmed that opinion and hath so solidly confuted the reasons which are commonly brought to the contrary that he hath drawn some learned Divines to his opinion which before did stifly adhere to the contrary opinion and left others very doubtful He hath well answered that place Mat. 5. 18. l. 2. c. 14. This Book is now answered by learned Buxtorf But as Amama saith if any will not be moved from the other opinion that the Puncta were invented by the Prophets which many godly Divines do out of a good zeal stand for suum cuique liberum sit judicium Vide Fulleri Miscel. Sac. lib. 4. cap. 4. Mercerum ad Gen. 16. 13. Drusium ad difficiliora loca Genes Buxtorfii dissertationem de Ebraeorum literis librum de punctorum Antiquitate origine Our Saviour saith Matth. 5. 18. That not one jot or prick of the Law shall perish whereby it should appear that the Law and the Prophets for of both he speaketh immediatly before had vowels and pricks whereunto also belong all those places of Scripture which testifie of the clearnesse and certainty of the Scripture which could not at all be now if it lacked vowels Yet this is not B. Ushers judgement as he himself told me The Jews thought there was abundance of mysteries in every one of those tittles of the Law Christ alludes to this opinion though he allows it not Non est improbabile argumentum ex Mat. 5. 18. Luc. 16. 17. ubi per 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 puncta accentus commodè intelligi posse docti opinantur inter quos Broughthonius in Daniel p 45. Polanus Syntagm lib. 1. cap. 37. quamvis argumento illi nolimus insistere Voetius Tom. 1. disputat de authoritate Scripturae Buxtorf in his Answer to Capellus saith That there are three degrees in general of Antiquity the chiefest those which referre the original of the points to Adam middle of those which referre them to Moses lowest those which referre them to Ezra Buxtorf de punctorum Antiquitate origine par 2. c. 2. Sine punctis legere saith Drusius paucis hodiè concessum Serarius de Rabbinis saith Elias Hutter a Lutheran writes thus è mille Praedicantibus ne unum quidem esse qui etiam punctatissima possit Hebraea legere nedum absque punctis An impudent Jesuite came to Conradus Graserus to conferre with him about the Hebrew Text of the Bible which he said was corrupt and could not be held Authentick to whom desiring the original Text Graserus gave the Hebrew Bible without pricks he took the Book and turned over the leaves and the Book upside down and was so ignorant or little skilled in the Original that he could not distinguish betwixt the right and wrong end of the Book Which his arrogance a young scholar of Graserus's perceiving he could not forbear laughter and Graserus himself had much ado to conceal it Melchior Adam in vita Conradi Grâ—seri pag. 845. CHAP. VII Of the Seventy and Vulgar Translation NOw I proceed to shew that neither the Translation of the Seventy nor the vulgar Latine are authentical 1. The Greek Translation of the Old Testament which is commonly ascribed to the Seventy Interpreters is not Divinely inspired The chief Pillars of the Primitive Church ran into this errour whence sprung many other errors The Greek Fathers who were generally unskilful both in Hebrew and Latine some few excepted were the lesse to be blamed here since they made use of no other Editions therefore they more confidently affirmed their own to be Authentical Augustine Tertullian and many of the Latine Fathers whom divers Divines follow ascribed too much to the Seventy Interpreters Yet there was a controversie between Augustine and Ierom concerning their Authority as is evident by both their Epistles Bellarmine is large in commending this version saying That it is most certain that those Interpreters did very well translate the Scripture and had the holy Ghost peculiarly assisting them least they should erre in any thing so that they may seem rather to be Prophets then Interpreters Gretzer bestoweth a prophetick spirit upon them because they did so agree and absolved their task in so short a space of time viz. in 72 dayes They are said to have been put a part in 72 Cels and to have all agreed in their Translation and the ruines thereof were as is reported shewed a long time after at Alexandria But Hierom and many of the Papists held this to be a Fable of the 72 Cels since neither Aristaeus who was a chief man about King Ptolomy that set the Seventy Interpreters on work nor Iosephus who was most desirous of the honour of his Nation maketh any mention thereof And as touching the Interpreters themselves Ierom saith Aliud est vatem agere aliud Interpretem It is one thing to be a Prophet another to be an Interpreter And as for the Translation he saith Germana illa antiqua translatio corrupta violata est That ancient and true Translation of the Septuagint is corrupted and violated which as Hierom saith was agreeable to the Hebrew but so is not the Greek Copy now extant which is full of corruptions and seemeth to be a mixt and confused Translation of many If the Seventy as well as the Hebrew had been Authentical the Lord would have been careful to have kept it pure and uncorrupt unto our dayes as well as he hath done the Hebrew There is indeed a Greek Edition extant which goeth under the name of the Seventy but Whitaker saith That the true Seventy is lost and that this which we now have is mixt and miserably corrupted Danda LXX Interpretibus venia ut hominibus juxta Jacobi sententiam Multa peccamus omnes Hieron ad Pamach The Apostles and Evangelists writing in Greek often followed the version of the Septuagint then common amongst the Greciâ—ns and cited it sometimes where there is a most manifest difference from the Hebrew Text but yet they did not alwaies use that Translation which they would have done if they had esteemed it Divine and Authentical Spanhemius Dub. Evangel part 1. Dub. 23. and Amama Antibarb Bibl. lib. 2. both think that
infallible ground there is none such of supernatural truth but the Scripture Because our Adversaries do contend for Traditions not written hotly and zealously against the total perfection of the Scripture that they might thrust upon us many points by their own confession not contained in Scripture and usurp to themselves irrefragable authority in the Church it shall not be amisse largely to consider of this matter And first to enquire of the signification of the words Greek and Latine which are translated Tradition and then to come to the matter which is controverted between us and the Papists The Greek word signifying Tradition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which in the New Testament is used onely in these places Matth. 15. 2 3 6. Mark 7. 3 5 8 9 13. 1 Cor. 11. 2. Gal. 1. 14. Colos 2. 8. 2 Thess. 2. 15. and 3. 6. and in the vulgar Latine is rendred Traditio Mat. 15. 2 3 6. Mark 7. 3 5 8 9 13. Gal. 1. 14. Col. 2. 6. 2 Thess. 2. 15. and 3. 6. and Praecepta 1 Cor. 11. 2. Whereto the Rhemists translation which seemeth to be but a bare translation of the Vulgar Latin doth wholly agree using the word Tradition every where excepting 1 Cor. 11. 2. where they use the word Pâ—ecepts but set in the margent the word Tradition Arias Montanus in his interlineal Translation doth render it Traditio Beza doth commonly express it by the word traditio In the English Geneva Bible we translate it by the word Instruction Tradition calling mens precepts Traditions the Apostles Doctrine Ordinances or Instructions not that we feared the word Tradition but because we would not have the simple deceived as though the unwritten verities of the Papists were thereby commended or as though we had some honourable conceit of them and what we did herein the signification of the word doth give us free liberty to do in our last English Translation we use the word Tradition as often as the Vulgar Latine or the Rhemists have done not that we were driven by fear or shame to alter what was done before but because we would cut off all occasion of carping at our Translation though never so unjust First We contend not about the name Tradition the word may lawfully be used if the sense affixed thereto be lawful 2. All Traditions unwritten are not simply condemned by us 3. The Apostles delivered by lively voice many observations dispensable and alterable according to the circumstances of time and persons appertaining to order and comelinesse only we say That they were not of the substance of Religion that they were not general concerning all Churches 4. We receive the number and names of the Authors of Books Divine and Canonical as delivered by tradition but the Divine Truth of those Books is in it self clear and evident unto us not depending on the Churches Authority The Books of Scripture have not their Authority quoad nos from the approbation of the Church but win credit of themselves and yield sufficient satisfaction to all men of their Divine Truth whence we judge the Church that receiveth them to be led by the Spirit of God yet the Number Authors and Integrity of the parts of those Books we receive as delivered by Tradition 5. The continued practice of such things as are neither expresly contained in Scripture nor the example of such practice expresly there delivered though the Grounds Reasons and cause of the necessity of such practice be there contained and the benefit and good that followeth of it we receive upon Tradition though the thing it self we receive not for Tradition Of this sort is the Baptism of Infants which may be named a Tradition because it is not expresly delivered in Scripture that the Apostles did baptize â—nfants nor any expresse precept there found that they should so do yet is not this so received by bare and naked Tradition but that we finde the Scripture to deliver unto us the ground of it Bellarmine and Maldonat both do confesse That the Baptism of Infants may be proved by the Scripture and therefore Maldonat concludes Nobis verò traditio non est Bellarmine as Whitaker shews contradicts himself for first he saith That the Baptism of Infants is an unwritten Tradition and after That the Catholicks can prove Baptism of Infants from the Scriptures To this head we may referre the observation of the Lords-day the precept whereof is not found in Scripture though the practice be And if for that cause any shall name it a Tradition we will not contend about the word if he grant withall that the example Apostolical hath the force of a Law as implying a common equity concerning us no lesse then it did them If any man shall call the summary comprehension of the chief heads of Christian Doctrine contained in the Creed commonly called The Apostles Creed a Tradition we will not contend about it For although every part thereof be contained in Scripture yet the orderly connexion and distinct explication of those principal Articles gathered into an Epitome wherein are implied and whence are inferred all Conclusions Theological is an Act humane not divine and in that sense may be called a Tradition But let it be noted withall that we admit it not to have that credit as now it hath to be the Rule of Faith for this is the priviledge of holy Scripture The Creed it self was gathered out of Scripture and is to be expounded by the Scripture therefore it is not given to be a perfect Canon of faith and manners By Tradition is noted 1. Whatsoever is delivered by men divinely inspired and immediately called whether it be by lively voice or by writing 2. In special it notes the word of God committed to writing 1 Cor. 15. 3. 3. It signifies Rites expresly contained in writing Act. 6. 14. 4. It betokens that which is not committed to writing but only delivered by lively voice of the Apostles 5. It signifieth that which is invented and delivered by men not immediately called In Scripture Tradition is taken 1. In good part for any Rite or Doctrine of God delivered to his Church either by word or writing whether it concern faith and good works or the external Government of the Church 2 Thess. 2. 15. 1 Cor. 11. 15. and 23. 2. In ill part it noteth the vain idle and unwarrantable inventions of men whether Doctrine or Rites Mat. 15. 3. Mar. 7. 8 9. When the Fathers speak reverently of Traditions by the word Tradition either they understand the holy Scripture which also is a Tradition it is a Doctrine left unto us Or by Traditions they understand observations touching Ecclesiastical policy Du Moulin Reasons confirming the sufficiency of Scripture against Popish Traditions 1. The whole Church is founded upon the Doctrine of the Prophets and Apostles which were not true if any Doctrine was necessary to Salvation not revealed by the Prophets and Apostles 2.
Testament therefore it is not perfect In the Old Testament no doubt but the females had some remedy whereby they might be purged from original sin as well as the males circumcision was instituted only for the males the Scripture mentions not what was instituted for the females In the New Testament the perpetual virginity of Mary the mother of Christ. Two things are considered in circumcision 1. Signum 2. Res signata or the end and use of the sign Answ. The thing signified or efficacy of the outward sign of circumcision was common both to Males and Females the very institution of circumcision teacheth that for it was a sign of the Covenant the Covenant belonged to all which were of the seed of Abraham if they renounced it not Although there were no decision of the other point out of the Scripture yet would it not thence follow which the Jesuites pretend that some necessary point of Christianity wanted the ground of holy Scripture it being sufficient for us to know that she was a Virgin when our Savioâ—r Christ was born of her as the Prophets did foretel Yet as Chamier said well we believe that she continued a Virgin all her life time for in those things said he which are not properly de side we hold the authority of the Church is great if it contradict not Scripture or produce no other absurdity Vide Riveti Apologâ—am pro Virgine Maria l. 1. c. 15. Helvidius would gather from those words Matth. 1. 25. until and first-born that Mary after had Children by her Husband The word till doth not import so much See Gen. 8. 7. and 28. 15 1 Sam. 15. 35 Sam. 6. 23. Matth. 28. 20. He is called the first-born in Scripture which first opens the womb whether others follow or no. 7. The Scripture is plain and Perspicuous The Perspicuity of the Scripture is a clear and evident manifestation of the truth delivered in it It is Perspicuous both in respect of it self and us 1. In respect of it self as appears 1. In the things delivered which although they seem obscure for their majesty and dignity yet they carry the light of truth before them therefore the Scripture is frequently termed a light Psal. 19. 8. and 119. 105. Deni 30. 11. Prov. 6. 2. 2 Pet. 1. 19. 2 Cor. 4. 3 4 6. the Scripture is a most bright light The nature of a light is first to discover it self then all things else There are two things in Gods revealed will verbum rei the word and res verbi the mystery The Scriptures are hard if we look to the mystery but not if we look to the word as for example the Scripture teacheth that there is one God in three persons the words are plain and easie every man understands them but the mystery contained in those words pasâ—eth the reach of man we may well discern these things to be so though we cannot fully conceive how these should be so 2. In the manner of delivering or kinde of stile which is fitted to the things and persons shewing the greatest simplicity both in words either proper or figurative and in the clear sense and most perspicuous propriety of signification viz. That one which is called Literal and Grammatical 2. In respect of us because the Scripture is to us the principal means and instrument of faith every Principle ought to be by it self and in its own nature known and most intelligible and there being three degrees of faith knowledge assent and full assurance these cannot consist without the perspicuity of the Scripture the divine promises also of writing the Law in our heart and concerning the spreading abroad and clear light of the Gospel should be to no purpose if the Scriptures should not be plain in things necessary to Salvation All difficulty in understanding the Scripture ariseth not from the obscurity of it but from the weakness of our understanding corrupted by natural ignorance or blinded by divine punishment and curse therefore it no more follows from thence that the Scripture cannot be an infallible and onely rule of faith and life because some obscure things are found in it not understood of all then that the Books of Euclide are not perfect elements of Geometry because there are some abstruse Theoremes in them which every vulgar Geometrician cannot demonstrate or that Aristotles Organon is not a perfect Systeme of Logick because a fresh Sophister understands not all its subtilties More distinctly we say that the Scriptures are plain and obscure in a threefold respect 1. They are plain and easie to be understood by all men in Fundamentals and the special points necessary to salvation as the Decalogue the Apostles Creed the Lords Prayer and the like unless by those whose mindes the God of this world hath blinded if they be obscure in some less principal and circumstantial matters there is need of interpretation that the meaning may be more clearly unfolded 2. A difference of persons is to be considered either more generally or more specially 1. More generally as they are elect and regenerate or reprobate and unregenerate to those the Scripture is plain and perspicuous to whom alone it is destinated and whose mindes the Holy Ghost will inlighten by the Scripture Iohn 7. 17. Rom. 12. 2. 1 Cor. 12. 15. Psal. 19 7. Matth. 11. 5. and 25. 25. Psal. 9. 10 12 13 14. Yet the flesh and unregenerate part in them puts in impediments but that ignorance is removed at last Luke 8. 10. The reprobates continue involved in perpetual darkness and blinded with ignorance hypocrisie covetousness pride and contempt of divine learning even seeing they see not Psal. 36. 3. Isa. 29. 9. Ier. 5. 21. Isa. 6. 9. 2 Cor. 3. 14. there is a vail over their hearts 2 Cor. 4. 3 4. which is the cause why in so many ages under the Papacy the Scriptures were not understood because they preferred a lye before the love of the truth 2 Thess. 10 whose ignorance is a deserved punishment of that contempt which they shewed to the Scriptures and their authority 2. More specially the persons are distinguished according to the diversity 1. Of Conditions of life and vocations for so many places of Scripture are hard to this sort of men which are more easie to another neither is it required that all things be understood of all men the knowledge of more places is necessary in a Minister then a Trades-man and Husbandman yet it is an infallible rule to every one in his vocation 2. Of capacities and wits for every one hath his measure of Gifts so among Ministers some understand the Word more obscurely some more plainly yet it is to all a perfect Rule according to the measure of Gifts 3. Of Times all things are not equally obscure or perspicuous to all Ages many things are better understood now then in times past as the Prophecies and Predictions of Christ and the times of the Gospel so in
in few words as are in the Old Testament the Poetical Books wherein no doubt the verse hath caused some cloud and amongst them the Proverbs from the tenth Chapter and the Prophecie of Hosea CHAP. IX Of the Interpretation of Scripture THis Question divides it self into three parts First Concerning the dâ—vers senses of the Scripture Secondly To whom the chief Authority to expound Scripture is committed Thirdly What means must be used in the Interpretation of Scripture 1. Of the divers senses of Scripture The Interpretation of Scripture is two-fold One of the words which is called Version or Translation this hath been handled already 2. Of things which is called Explication the finding out of the meaning of any place which is more Theological the other being rather Grammatical And this signification of the thing they commonly call the sense Neh. 8. 9. Interpreting Scripture is 1. Ancient Nâ—h 8. 8. 2. Honourable Mar. 4. 34. The Scripture hath often two senses one of which the later Divines call Literal Grammatical or Historical another Mystical or Spiritual The sense of the Scripture is that which God the Author of the Scripture in and by the Scriptures gives to men to know and understand Ratio divina in medulla non in superficie Tertul de resurrectione carnis Nec putemus in verbis Scripturarum esse Evangelium sed in sensu non in superficie sed in medulla non in sermonum foliis sed in radice rationis Hieron in Epist. ad Gal. 1. 11. The right expounding of Scripture consists in two things 1. In giving the right sense 2. In a right application of the same 1 Cor. 14. 3. The Literal sense is that which the letter it self or the words taken in their genuine signification carry And because the genuine signification of the words is that in which the Author useth them whether speaking properly or figuratively therefore the literal sense is subdivided into plain and simple and figurative which ariseth from the words translated from their naturall signification into another as where Christ saith Ioh. 10. 16. I have other sheep which are not of this fold whereby he understandeth other people besides the Jews The mysticall or spirituall sense is that in which the thing exprest in the literall sense signifieth another thing in a Mystery for the shadowing out of which it was used by God The waters of the Floud with which the Ark was upheld signified Baptism by which the Church is saved under the New Covenant as the Apostle teacheth 1 Pet. 3. 21. that History Exod. 12. It is a Passeover unto the Lord is spoken figuratively the other words properly The mystical sense is the bones of Christ were no more broken then of the Paschal Lamb which did signifie Christ. The Papists say The literall sense is that which is gathered immediately out of the words the spiritual which hath another reference then to that which the words doe properly signifie The last they subdivide into Allegorical Tropological Anagogical they say that the Scripture beside the literal sense may have these also The Allegorical sense is when the words of the Scripture besides the plain historical and literall meaning signifie something in the New Testament which belongs to Christ or the Church as Gal. 4. besides the truth of the Story of the bond and free-woman S. Paul applieth it unto the two Testaments Tropological when the words and deeds are referred to signifie something which belongs to manners as Paul 1 Cor. 9. teacheth from that place Deut. 25. Thou shalt not muzle the mouth of the Ox that treadeth out the corn that things necessary are to be allowed to Pastors Anagogical when words or deeds are referred to signifie eternal life as Psal 94. I sware unto them they should not enter into my rest this is literally understood of the rest in Canaan but applied by Paul Heb. 4. to life eternal Becanus saith As there are three Theological Vertues Faith Hope and Charity so there are three mystical sences The Allegoricall Answers to Faith the Analogicall to Hope the Morall to Charity Ierome saith he excelled in the Literal sense Ambrose in the Allegorical Augustine in the Anagogical Gregory in the Moral The Papists erre three wayes in this subject 1. In that description which they make of the literal sense 2. In that they hold there are divers literal senses of one place 3. In their division of the mystical sense into Allegorical Tropological Anagogical 1. That is false which Bellarmine saith Literalis sensus est quem verba immediatè prae se ferunt What then shal the literal sense of those words be Ps. 91. 13. Let them shew the Lion which Christ did tread on and what shal be the literal sense of those places Isa. 11. 6 7 8. 65. ult And what literal sense shall those words of Christ have Mat. 5. 29. Origen though otherwise he allegorized much interpreted that place according to the letter but foolishly That therefore is rather the literal sense which ariseth from the words whether properly or figuratively taken as for example this is the literal sense of those words The seed of the woman shall break the Serpents head viz. Christ shall overcome Satan and subdue all his force and power although the Devil neither be a Serpent nor hath a head Secondly We hold that there is but one true proper and genuine sense of Scripture viz. The Literal or Grammatical whether it arise from the words properly taken or figuratively understood or both For that there should be divers Literal senses of one and the same place is against the truth the Text and reason 1. The truth because of one and an Individual thing there is one constant truth and not various verum unum convertuntur 2. The Text because it draweth away from its one true sense 3. And lastly reason because this is the chiefest reason in explaining the Text that the true literal sense of it may be found out The literal sense then can be but one in one place though a man may draw sundry consequences à contrariis à similibus 3. We do not altogether reject the third for we hold there are Allegories Anagogies and Tropologies in the Scriptures yet these are not many and divers senses of the Scripture but divers collections from one sense or divers Applications and accommodations of one sense Besides the Tropologies and Anagogies are unfitly opposed to an Allegory since they are certain kinds of it Haec nominum curiosa distinctiâ— ex Scholarum potius morosiuscula diligentia quam ex ulla eorum vocabulorum necessitate Itaque Salmero agnoscit esse quid novum à posterioribus patribus traditum Chamierus Tomo de Sensu Literali Mystico lib. 15. cap. 1. Gal. 4. The Apostle saith not that there is a double sense but that it may be allegorically applied which is Historically set down There is then but one sense of the
from error as living neerer the Apostles and before the first discovery of Antichrist which was about the six hundred and seven when Boniface the third purchased of that bloudy Tyrant Phocas the title of Universal Bishop and with it the Supremacy over all Churches Erasmus accuratissimus Patrum vetustiorum censor was much exercised in the writings of the Fathers and hath bestowed great pains in restoring and illustrating Ierom Augustine and others of them For the Fathers Ierom among the Latines and Origen among the Greeks were learned in the Hebrew saith Chamier Ierom wâ—s the chiefest among them for skill in the Hebrew Chaldee Greek Latine Tongue and the most diligent searcher of the Jewish affairs he spared no labour cost nor time that he might attain to skill in that Tongue He made use of the Jews for that purpose and the skilfullest amongst them whose labour he purchased with a great deal of money this he often witnesseth of himself five times saith Morinus he made use of them That one labour of his deserveth eternal praise that he translated the Scripture out of the Hebrew into Latine That was a most laborious work of Origens in gathering together divers Editions of Scripture 1. The Greek of Aquila Symmachus the Septuagint and Theodosion into one Volume distinguisht by four Columns called Tetrapla to which he after added two more one in Hebrew the other in Greek Characters and called it his Hexapla at last he joyned two other Editions and then called it Octapla by them one might have compared the several Greek Editions together and with the Hebrew Text. Vide Erasm. Epist. l. 28. p. 1155. It is manifest saith Buxtorf that the most and best of his writings are lost It was said of him Ubi benè nemo melius Ubi malè nemo pejus Quod attinet ad Origenem meacertè nihil interest quid ille senserit quem scio Theologum fuisse aâ—daciorem quam saniorem Chamierus Tomo 2. de S. Trinitate cap. 8. Salmasius Whitaker Sixtus Senensis and others say Origen was skilfull in the Hebrew He wrote so many Books that Ierom saith Quis nostrum tanta potest legere quanta ille conscripsit Vir tantae fuit eruditionis ingenii ut ei parem doctissima Graecia faelicissimorum ingeniorum parens nunquam habuerit Sixtus Senensis Bibliothecae sanctae l. 4. He saith much more there in his commendation Tantum in Scripturas divinas habuerit studium ut etiam Hebraeam linguam contra aetatis gentisque suae naturam edisceret Hieronymus de viris illustribus He lived a little after the year two hundred Augustine for the Latine Church and golden mouth'd Chrysostom for the Greek Church were most famous He is abridged by Theophylact. A Father so ancient so learned so godly so skilfull in the Scriptures saith Rainolds of Chrysostome Augustine for disputations Ierom for the tongues Gregory for Morals Augustine Vir supra omnes qui ante eum post eum huc usque fuerunt mortales admirabili ingenii acumine praeditus omnibus liberalibus disciplinis instructus Divinis Scripturis longè omnium eruditissimus in earum explanatione ultrà quam dici queat incomparabili subtilitate sublimis omnes Latinae Ecclesiae scriptores scribendi labore lâ—cubrationum multitudine superavit Sixtus Senensis Bibl. Sanct. l. 4. Subtilissimus Patrum Augustinus D. Prideaux lectione 4. Gregory Nazianzen the learnedest of all the Greek Fathers and firnamed the Divine D. Featleys Transubstantiation exploded He lived about the year 375. Chrysostomus habet nescio quid submolestae 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gregorius Nazianzenus nonnihil affectatae argutiae in verbis in Basilio nihil est quod offâ—ndiâ— Erasm. Epist. l. 24. Reginaldo Polo Irenaeus saith Capellus was almost the Ancientest of all the Fathers whose genuine writings are extant He was Polycarpus his Disciple and lived about the 172 year after Christ. Tertullian was one of the Latine Fathers most Ancient and very near the Apostles â—lourishing in the Reign of Severus the Emperour about two hundred years after Christs Birth and not past one hundred after the death of Iohn the Evangelist Ierom being urged with his authority said De Tertulliano nihil aliud respondeo quam Ecclesiae hominem illum non fuisse In Graecia celebres agnosco Patres Clementem Athanasium Cyrillum Damascenum Montacutius Analect Eccles. exercit 1. Sect 6. Cyprian the Martyr was of great authority amongst all for his holiness of life Dr Hall cals Lactantius the Christian Cicero Ierom cals him Eloquentiae Tullianae Fluvium Epist. ad Paul Tom. 1. and M. Selden de Dis Syris cals him Politissimum Patrum He lived about the year 250. Sententious Tertullian grave Cyprian resolute Hierom flowing Chrysostome divine Ambrose devout Bernard heavenly Augustine Bishop Hals 4th Decade of Epist. Epist. 3. Vide Hieron Epist. ad Paulinum de Institutione Monachi One saith He that looks upon the Fathers Works would think they did nothing but Write he that looks on their Devotions would think they did nothing but Pray he that lookes on their Learning would thinke they did nothing but Reade Bernard was a worthy man in the corrupt age in which he lived but Bernardus non vidit omnia say the Papists Bernardum non admitto utpote recentiorem longè post confirmatam Romani Pontificis tyranidem scribentem ex more errore sui temporis Chamier de Canone lib. 3. cap. 3. cap. 5. Danda venia bonis illis sanctis patribus qui ignorantia linguarum multa saepe aliena à germana Scriptura senserunt pio alioquin attulerunt 3. For Protâ—stant Interpreters Calvin is not onely commended by our own Writers but by the very Papists I would content my self among the new Writers with Mr Calvin who performeth best of all others that which he of himself professeth that a man in reading his Expositions reapeth this benefit that for the shortness he useth he departeth not far from the Text it self Cartw. letter to M. Hildersham Calvin was the notablest instrument that the Lord hath stirred up for the purging of his Churches and restoring of the plain and sincere interpretation of the Scriptures which hath been since the Apostles times Cartw. Reply to Dr Whitgift in defence of the Admonit p. 19. Name me one Papist who preached so often and wrote so accurately upon the holy Scriptures as Calvin Dr Featleys Stricturae in Lyndo-Mastigem c. 14. I so honour the judgement of reverend Calvin that I reckon him amongst the best Interpreters of Scripture since the Apostles left the earth Dr Hals Revelation unrevealed p. 33. Piscator hath done well in his Scholia on all the Bible He follows Iunius for the Old Testament and Beza for the New and in his Aphorisms he follows Calvins Institutions Piae venerabilis memoriae propter eruditionem textualem singularem sanctitatem parem Joan. Piscator
Pope approves The Practice of the Church is that which the Pope observes the Interpretation of the Fathers is that which the Pope follows the Determination of Councels what the Pope confirms so that the Pope must interpret all Scripture But divers Reasons may be alledged to shew that the true Interpretation of Scripture is not to be sought for from the Popes of Rome 1. Because the Popes of Rome have frequently and grosly erred in interpreting of Scripture as in Rom. 8. 8. Those that are in the flesh cannot please God that is Those that are married said Siricius the Pope Innocent so expounded those words Iohn 6. Unlesse you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his bloud you shall have no life in you that he thence concluded That there is no salvation without receiving the Eucharist and that it is to be given to Infants Pope Boniface interpreted Luke 22. 38. of the Temporall and Spirituall Sword delivered to the Pope 2. Because the Popes of Rome doe differ among themselves in interpreting of Scripture as Matth. 16. 18. Some Popes say rightly that by the Rock Christ or the Confession of Faith given by Peter concerning Christ is meant others interpret it of the person of Peter the Apostle others expound it to be the Romane Seat or Chair 3. Because many of the Popes of Rome have not only erred but been grosse and wicked Hereticks Liberius the Pope about the year 350 was an Arian and subscribed to the unjust condemnation of Athanasius and afterward as an obstinate Heretick was deposed Honorius the first was a Monothâ—lite he held that Christ had but one will and so but one nature and for this Heresie was condemned in three General Councels Some Popes were Atheists as Leo the tenth who called the Gospel Fabulam de Christâ— One cals the Pope that great Heteroclite in religion another saith The Pope is the worst of Cardinals who are the worst of Priests who are the worst of Papists who are the worst of Christians That the general consent of Fathers is no good Rule for interpreting Scriptures See Iaâ—â—â—us Laurentius his singular Tractate entituled Reverentia Eccles. Rom. erga S. Pat. veteres subdola Artic. 2. Proposit. 9. In his Auctarium he proves that the Protestants do more esteem the Fathers then the Papists and Jesuites For Councels Gregory the Pope equalizeth the four first General Councels to the four Gospels not in respect of Authority but in respect of the verity of the Articles defined in them He saith not They could as little erre but they did as little erre in their decisions or to speak more properly That their Doctrine was as true as Gospel because the Determinations in those first General Councels against Hereticks are evidently deduced out of holy Scriptures Dr Featley's Stricturae in Lyndomastigem concerning the 7 Sac. For if these four general Councels be of equal Authority with the four Gospels the Popes Authority as Papists say being above the Authority of the Councels it followeth That his Authority is greater then the Evangelists then which what can be more blasphemously spoken We say the true Interpretation of Scripture is not to be sought from general Councels First Because even universal Councels have erred the Chalcedonian Councel one of the four so much magnified by Pope Gregory in rashly preferring the Constantinopolitane Church before that of Alexandria and Antioch Those that condemned Christ were then the universal visible Church Matth. 26. 65. Iohn 11. 47. See Act. 4. 18. Secondly General Councels have been opposite one to another that of Constance to the other of Basil whereof one setteth down that Councels could erre and so also the Pope and that a Councel was above the Pope the other affirmeth the quite contrary Thirdly There were no general Councels after the Apostles for three hundred years till the first Councel of Nice when yet the Church had the true sense of the Scriptures Fourthly The general Councels interpreted Scripture by Scripture as Athanasius and Ambrose teach concerning the first Councel of Nice Fifthly Because they cannot be so easily celebrated to declare any doubtfull sense of Scripture They have expounded but few places of Scripture neither is it likely the Pope will assemble them to expound the rest The Papists say That the Scripture ought to be expounded by the Rule of Faith and therefore not by Scripture only But the Rule of Faith and Scripture is all one As the Scriptures are not of man but of the Spirit so their Interpretation it not by man but of the Spirit like wise Let Councels Fathers Churches give their sense of the Scripture its private if it be not the sense and interpretation of the Spirit Let a private man give the true sense of the Scripture it s not private because its Divine the sense of the holy Ghost and private in 2 Pet. 1. 20. is not opposed to publick but to Divine and the words are to be read No Scripture is of a mans own Interpretation that is private contrary to Divine The word is interpreted aright by declaring 1. The Order 2. The Summe or Scope 3. The Sense of the words which is done by framing a Rhetorical and Logical Analysis of the Text. In giving the sense three Rules are of principal use and necessity to be observed 1. The literal and largest sense of any words in Scripture must not be imbraced farther when our cleaving thereunto would breed some disagreement and contrariety between the present Scripture and some other Text or place else shall we change the Scripture into a Nose of wax 2. In case of such appearing disagreement the holy Ghost leads us by the hand to seek out some distinction restriction limitation or figure for the reconcilement thereof and one of these will alwayes fit the purpose for Gods word must always bring perfect truth it cannot fight against it self 3. Such figurative Sense Limitation Restriction or Distinction must be sought out as the Word of God affordeth either in the present place or some other and chiefly those that seem to differ with the present Text being duly compared together The End of the first Book THE SECOND BOOK OF GOD. CHAP. I. That there is a God HAving handled the Scripture which is principium cognoscendi in Divinity I now proceed to Treat of God who is principium essendi or thus The Scripture is the rule of Divinity God and his works are the matter or parts of Divinity This Doctrine is 1. Necessary 1. Because man was made for that end that he might rightly acknowledge and worship God love and honor him 2. It is the end of all Divine Revelation Iohn 5. 39. 3. To be ignorant of God is a great misery Being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them 2. Profitable Our welfare and happiness consists in the knowledge of God Ier. 9. 23. Iohn 17. 3. the knowledge of God
therefore Gen. 17. 1. when God was to make a Covenant with Abraham to leave all earthly things and so trust in him onely he brings this argument that he is such was sufficient God 2. Gomer The verb is used five times in the Psalms as much as perfect from the effect because God doth continually preserve to the end 3. Tom Iob 37. 16. It signifieth both Simple and Perfect 4. Calil à Col. omnis that in which all good things are God is perfect 1. Essentially he is perfect in and by himself containing in him all perfections eminently Matth. 5. 48. he hath all needful to a Deity 2. Nothing is wanting to him he hath no need of any other thing out of himself Iob 22. 2 3. Psal. 16 2. 3. Originally he is the cause of all perfection what hast thou which thou hast not received Iames 1. 17. 4. Operatively all his works are perfect Deut. 32. 4. A thing is perfect 1. Negativè which wanteth nothing which is due by nature to its integrity 2. Primativè which wanteth no perfection and so God onely is Perfect 2. God is great in his works Deut. 4. 36. Psal. 111. 2. Iob 5. 9. Gods perfection stands in an infiniteness of goodness Matth. 19. 17. wisdom Rom. 11. 33. power Gen. 17. 1. perfect wisdom goodness righteousness moderation holiness truth and whatsoever may possibly be required to grace and commend an action that is found in the whole course and frame of Gods actions the work of Creation is a perfect work he made all things in unsearchable wisdom no man could have found any want of any thing in the world which might be reasonably desired no man could have found there any evil thing worthy to be complained of The work of providence is perfect all things are carried in perfection of wisdom justice and goodness So is the work of Redemption likewise perfect The perfectest measure of justice wisdom truth power that can be conceived of doth shew it self forth in that work Reason Such as the workman is such must the work be a perfect Artists workmanship will resemble himself The perfection of God is his incomprehensible fulness of all excellencies he is absolutely and simply perfect Object Why doth God use the help of others Ans. Not out of need as the Artificer his Instruments so that he cannot work without them but out of choice and liberty to honor them the more Hence sometimes he will use no means at all sometimes contrary means to shew that they help not and that we should not rely upon them Object Why is there sin in the world seeing God needs not any glory that comes to him by Christ and by his mercy in pardoning of sin Why doth he suffer it Answ. Because sin is not so great an evil as Christ is a good and therefore God would not have suffered sin if he could not have raised upto himself matter of honor God makes an Antidote of this poyson Object How comes it to pass that God makes one thing better then he did at first as in the Creation all things had not their perfection at first Answ. Those things were perfect ex parte operantis he intended not they should have any farther perfection at that time the essence of nothing can be made better then it is because it consists in indivisibili God makes not our graces perfect in us because he aims at another end Gods perfection hath all imperfections removed from it 2 Tim. 2. 13. Titus 1. 2. Iames 1. 3. There be six imperfections found in every Creature 1. Contingency 2. Dependence 3. Limitation 4. Composition 5. Alteration 6. Multiplication Now God is free from all these He is 1. A necessary Essence 2. Independent 3. Unlimited 4. Simple 5. Unchangeable 6. Wholly one Three of these viz. Gods Simplicity unlitedness in respect of time and place and unchageableness I have handled already I shall speak of the other three when I have dispatched this Attribute of Gods Greatnes or Perfection 3. God is great in his Authority I have shewed already that he is great in his Nature and Essence and also in his works now his greatness in Authority is to be considered He is a great King he hath soveraign absolute and unlimited Authority over all things they being all subject and subordinate to him for at his will they were and are created This is signified by the Title of The most high so frequently given him in Scripture He is the high and lofty one Isa. 57. 15. 1. In respect of place and dwelling he is in heaven Eccles. 5. 2. above the clouds 2. In respect of Essence he is high indeed unexpressibly high the high God Gen. 14. 22. the Lord most high Psal. 7. 17. 3. In respect of Attributes he hath more wisdom power justice mercy then all creatures 4. In respect of State and Dominion he is exalted in Authority power jurisdiction he is above all as Commander of all God hath supreme dominion and power over all creatures to order them as he pleaseth Iob 9. 12. and 33. 12 13. and 34. 13 14. Ier. 16 6. Isa. 45. 9. Dan. 6. 26. Rom. 11. the 4. last verses and 9. 15 16 17 18. Dominion in the general is twofold 1. Of jurisdiction whereby he ruleth all subject to him as he pleaseth 2. Of propriety whereby he having a right to every creature may order it as he pleaseth The first is implyed in that of Iames 4. 12. there is one Law-giver who is able to save and to destroy The second in that he is called the Lord of the earth and all the beasts of the field are said to be his Gods Dominion is that absolute right and power whereby he possesseth all things as his own and disposeth of them as he pleaseth God over all Rom. 9. 5. Ephes. 4. 6. Reason The supreme excellency of his nature whereby he is infinitely above not onely those things which are actual but likewise possible Gods first dominion of jurisdiction hath these parts 1. To Command 2. To forbid as Adam the eating of the tree 3. To permit thus he suffers sin to be being Supreme Lord. 4. To punish or reward Secondly his dominion of propriety consists in these particulars 1. That he can order every thing as he pleaseth for his honor and glory Psal. 8. 1. the strange punishments laid on Pharoah were for this God raised him up to shew his glory 2. He is bound to give none account of what he doth that is true of God which the Papists attribute falsely to the Pope none may say to him Cur ita facis 3. He can change and alter things as he pleaseth Dan. 2. 21. as when he bid Abraham kill his Son and the Israelites take the Egyptians goods 4. He can distribute his goods unequally to whom and when he pleaseth to one health sickness to another The adjuncts of this dominion 1. It is Independent on
cleaving fâ—rmly unto God The ninth and last question concerning Angels is How can they be happy in enjoying Gods face and yet be on the earth Matth. 18. 10. By heaven there is not meant the place but their heavenly estate and condition Now though they go up and down doing service yet this hinders not their happinesse for they do not this with distraction and these things are appointed as means for the end viz. enjoying of God and as the soul is not hindred in its happiness by desiring the body again so it is here 1. We should imitate the Angels 2. It shews us how much we are beholding to Christ no Angels could love us if it were not for him How much are we to love God who hath provided helps for man especially Christ who took our nature upon him not that of Angels Gods Angels are our Angels to defend and keep us God hath committed the care of us to these ministring Spirits 3. It shews the wofull condition of the impenitent when Christ shall come with all these Angels when those great shouts shall be Come thou swearer drunkard how terrible will this be The more potent God is in Himself and in his Ministers the more wretched are they and the surer is their destruction 4. This confutes the Papists in three errours 1. In that they hold nine orders of Angels They are distinguished ratione objectorum officiorum in respect of the object and message they go about 2. They would have them worshipped but the Angel forbad Iohn 3. They say every one hath his good Angel to keep him so Bucan thinks in his Common places 2. The Saducees who said there was neither Angel nor Spirit Acts 24. 8. but held good Angels only to be good thoughts and evil angels to be evil lusts and affections Their names offices actions apparitions shew plainly that they are not bare qualities but true substances It serves for instruction 1. To see the blindness and erroneousness of mankinde in that a great number of men of learning and wit and parts good enough and that such as lived in the Church and acknowledged the five books of Moses to be divine should yet make a shift to wink so hard as to maintain that there were no Angels What falsehood may not the devil make a man entertain and defend and yet seem not to deny the Authority of Scripture if a man confessing Moses writings to be true will yet deny that there be either Spirits or Angels which are things so plainly revealed by Moses that a man would account it impossible to receive his writings and not confess them But if God leave man to the devil and his own wit he will make him the verier fool because of his wit and he will erre so much the more palpably by how much he seems better armed against errour even as a mans own weapon beaten to his head by a farre stronger arm will make a deep wound in him See we our aptness to run into and maintain false opinions and let us not trust in our own wits but suspect our selves and seek to God for direction Secondly Let us learn humility from this and by comparing our selves with these excellent Spirits learn to know how mean we be that we may be also mean in our own esteem So long as a man compares himself with those things and persons which are baser then himself he is prone to lift up himself in his own conceit and to think highly of himself but when he doth weigh himself in the balance with his betters he begins to know his own lightness The Lord hath set us men in the midst as it were betwixt the bruit beasts and the celestial Spirirs we do so far exceed them as the Angels exceed us as for bodily gifts the beasts in many things go beyond us some are more strong swift have more excellent sight and smell then we but in few things do we equal the Angels They are swifter and stronger then we and their excellent reason goes beyond ours in a manner as the understanding which is in us excelleth the fancy of the beasts they know a thousand things more then we do or can know One Angel can do more then all men can speak more languages repeat more histories in a word can perform all acts of invention and judgement and memory farre beyond us Thirdly Since God hath made Angels to serve and attend him should not we that are far inferiour to them be content also to serve him yea exceeding glad and thankful that he will vouchsafe to admit us into his service Doth he need our service that is served with such Ministers and Messengers Let us frame our selves to obedience and do Gods will on earth with all readiness and cheerfulness seeing there is so great store of more worthy persons in heaven that do it An Angel will not esteem any work too difficult or base why should we Fourthly The Angels which wait about the throne of God are glorious and therefore the Lord himself must needs excell in glory Isa. 6. 1 2. Ezek. 1. 28. Of the Devils or evil Angels The Angels which persisted in the truth are called good Angels Luke 9. 26. but those which revolted and kept not the law were called evil Angels or evil spirits angels of darknesse Luke 8. 20. 19. 42. and Angels absolutely 1 Cor. 6. because they were so created of the Lord. In respect of their nature they are called spirits 1 King 22. 21. Matth. 18. 16. Luke 10. 20. In respect of their fall they are called evil spirits 1 Sam. 18. 10. Luke 8. 2. unclean spirits Matth. 10. 1. Zach. 13. 2. not so much because of their instigation to lust as because their natures are defiled with sin Lying spirits 1 King 22. 22. Iohn 8. 44. Devils Levit. 17. 7. 1 Cor. 10. 20. The Hebrew names for the devil are 1. Satan an adversary 2 Sam. 19. 32. of Satan to oppose and resist 2 Pet. 2. 14. Belial 2 Cor. 6. though some reade it Beliar unprofitable He is likewise called Beelzebub or Beelzebul which word comes of Bagnal Dominus a Lord or Master and Zebub a fly the Idol of the Achronites because they thought these best of those pestiferous creatures or else because the devils were apprehended as flying up and down in the air but if it be read Zâ—bul then it signifieth by way of contempt a Dunghill god Levit. 17. 7. The devils are called Shegnirim the hairy ones because they appeared to their worshippers like hairy goats and in the mountains The devil is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to accuse because he accuseth men to God and God to men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 scio because they know much by creation and by experience The devil is called an enemy or the envious man Matth. 13. 139. The tempter Matth. 4.
〈◊〉 saith he de Eccles. Different forms of Churches and Church-government in one State must needs lay a foundation of strife and division therein It is no wisedom saith M. Durie in a Letter in a State to reject an approved way of government which all the best Reformed Churches have received all this while and acknowledged to be Gods way and by experience found to be safe sound and instead of it to take up another which it is not yet known what it is nor was ever tried but in two or at the most three Churches and that for the space of a few years The slighter the cause of Separation the greater the fault of Schisme when men hold the same Faith and Orthodox truths yet separate for lesser matters The true Saints in the 7. Churches of the Revelation were never bid go out of them though they were very corrupt as they were out of Babylon M. Vines The first Separatist in the Scripture saith one was Cain Gen. 4. 16. Enforcements to love are clear 1 Cor. 13. 1. That question of Separation in Scripture is dark See M. Gillespy miscel c. 10. and 15. and M. Manton on Jam. 3. 17. Schisma est secessio in religionis negotio vel temeraria vel injusta Cameron de Eocles Schisme is a causelesse separation from externall communion with any true Church of Christ M. Ball against Separation c. 8. Schism is a breach of the unity of the Church D. Field l. 3. of the Church c. 5. We do not leave communion of true Churches for corruptions and sins but only abstain from the practice of evil in our own persons and witnesse against it in others still holding communion with the Churches of Christ. You send me unto such a Book of M. Robinson as himself doth begin to revoke pubpubliquely as being unsound in divers things whereas I refer you unto a later book of his made with riper deliberation and in no part that I hear of publikely revoked His Book which you send me unto being his Iustification of Separation is sick of King Iehorams incurable disease the guts of it fall out day by day yea he openly plucks out some of the bowels thereof with his own hands This is to be observed by them especially who much follow M. Robinson CHAP. XXIII Of Sedition Self-love Self-seeking Slander SEDITION SEdition is a sin whereto people are much inclined It is to leave our present Governours which rule us according to law and follow other Governours who rise up of their own accord to leave a David and follow a Sheba The Israelites raised sedition against David by means of Absalom and Achitophel and proceeded so farre in their rebellion that they brought it to a pitcht field and would not give over till their Captain with twenty thousand more were slain in the battell 2 Sam. 19. Corah Dathan and Abiram stir up a great multitude against Moses and Aaron At another time of themselves they rose against Moses and were ready to stone him because they wanted water At another time they cry to have a Captain and return back to Egypt M. Hobbs in his Rules of government c. 12. reckons up these two among other wilde ones as seditious opinions that the knowledge of good and evil belongs to each single man and saith Legitimate Kings make the things they command just by commanding them and those which they forbid unjust by forbidding them This is to make Subjects beasts and the Magistrate God 2. That faith and holinesse are not acquired by study and naturall reason but are supernaturally infused and inspired unto man which if it were true saith he I understand not why we should be commanded to give an account of our faith or why any man who is truly a Christian should not be a Prophet This opinion is so contrary to Scripture and the judgement of all sound Divines that I need not spend time to confute it See Phil. 1. 29. Eph. 1. 8. Heb. 12. 2. One indeed saith the habits of Faith Hope and Charity are infused after the manner of acquisite God having ordained not to infuse them but upon the means of hearing praying caring studying and endeavouring Some say there are no graces wrought in us but severall actings of the Spirit as the Spirit acteth with us where grace is wrought we need the Spirit to excite and draw it forth but the Scripture is plain for infused habits grace is called a good work in us Phil. 1. 6. the Law written in our hearts God is said to shine into our hearts 2 Cor. 4. 6. we are said to be partakers of the divine nature 2 Pet. 1. 4. See Eph. 2. 10. 1. It is a sin it is plain by Scripture how severely did God punish it in Korah and his accomplices making the earth to gape wide and swallow them up Solomon condemns it saying meddle not with such as be given to change Gal. 5. 20. yea it is a great sin as is evident 1. It is contrary to the light of Scripture in the Law he that cursed that is railed upon or used ill wishes against the Ruler of his people was to be put to death how much more then he that shall rise up against him The Scriptures of the New Testament are full of precepts for duty and subjection Rom. 13. 1. 1 Pet. 2. 13. 14. Give unto Caesar that which is Caesars saith our blessed Saviour Give to every one his due fear to whom fear honour to whom honour belongeth You must needs be subject for conscience sake And the Apostle willeth Titus to put them in minde to obey principalities and powers and be subject to Magistrates and ready to every good work as if a man were unfit for any good work if he be not duly subject to authority The Jesuites are still tampering about Kingdomes Monarchies Common-wealths and temporall States how to bring them into mutinies contentions seditions rebellions and uproars Watsons Quodlibets of Religion and State Quodl 5. Answer to the fourth Article They are like unto Aesops Trumpetter who being taken in war made his lamentation saying that he never drew his sword against any nor shot at any but the enemy answered Thou hast animated others thou hast put courage rage and fury into all the rest Saint Peter and Iude do blame them which despise government and speak evil of them in authority Secondly It is contrary to the light of nature for even among those Nations which never had any divine revelation yet the necessity of duty to Magistrates was alwaies maintained as a thing which they perceived absolutely requisite for the welfare of humane societies seeing without government the societies of men could never continue in a good estate No man could possesse his own goods enjoy his own lands and house live comfortably with his own wife and children or give himself to any profitable calling and endeavour Thirdly It is contrary to those principal vertues by which all men
Saviour even such and such a one they were Types of Christ the great Saviour That saveth us out of the hands of our enemies as that holy man telleth in this Song This is the first Title Jesus and the reason of it and it was his Name by which he was commonly known and called and now known and called a name of infinite sweetnesse to us of infinite honour and praise to him For how much comfort did oppressed Nations receive at the hearing of such a Deliverer How much honour did they shew unto him And therefore when the Apostle telleth us of our subjection unto Christs Authority he ascribeth it unto this Name as shewing us that this is the foundation of his requiring and our yeelding all honour and obedience to him He takes not upon him to be honoured onely because he will be honoured or because he is in himself worthy of it in regard of Excellency but because he hath deserved it at our hands and is perfectly worthy of it in regard of the things he hath done for us Baptism saves representatively Ioshua temporally Ministers instrumentally Jesus principally Christ delivers his people from their spiritual slavery the bondage of sin Satan the Law Death Hell The slavery of sin and Satan is all one the Devil hath dominion over the soul only by sinne our lusts are his strong holds Satan is cast out when sinne is broken 2 Tim. 2. 26. See 1 Ioh. 3. 8. Where he comes to be a Saviour First He breaks all the yokes of sinne Rom. 7. 14 17. 8. 2. He delivers his servants 1. From the guilt of sin whereby the sinner is bound over to punishment Christ hath discharged the debt for us Rom. 8. 1. Gal. 3. 13. 2. From the stain and defilement of sinne 1 Cor. 6. 11. and that partly by repairing the image of God in the soul which sinne had defaced and by imputing all his righteousnesse to them so that the soul stands covered over before God with the beauty of Christ Jesus Revel 1. 5. 3. From the reigning power of sin by his Spirit Rom. 6. Acts 3. 26. Titus 2. 14. 1 Pet. 1. 18. Secondly Christ delivers his people from the yoke of the Law both Ceremonial and Moral 1. He hath totally delivered his people from the ceremonial Law those ceremonies that concerned the publick external Worship of God and their private conversation multitude of observations and some costly 2. He hath freed them from the burden of the Moral Law 1. From it as a Covenant of life they have life by Christ. 2. From the curses of it Gal. 3. 13. 3. The rigor of it 4. As it brings wrath and the Spirit of bondage 2 Tim. 1. 7. 5. From the irritation of it for by accident it provokes a mans corruption Rom. 7. 8. 6. As it increaseth the guilt of sin Christ hath taken all the guilt upon his own shoulders Thirdly Christ sets all his servants free from the yoke of Death and Hell the first and second death this is proved out of 1 Cor. 15. 25 26 54. Ioh. 11. 26. Revel 2. 10. 20. 6. 1 Thes. 1. ult Christ delivers his people from the curse of Death 1. Meritoriously by undergoing death Heb. 2. 14 15. In morte Christi obiit mors he endured the wrath of God due to all Gods people 2. He effectually applies this to his people in the administration of the Covenant of Grace The Papists abuse the name of Jesus four wayes 1. In making it a name of wonder using it idly and foolishly in their talk O Iesus 2. In a superstitious worshipping of the letters and syllables bowing at the sound of the word Vox Iesus vel audita vel visa is worshipped by them They say this is the name which God gave his Son after he had submitted to death for us This name Jesus was given to Christ long before his exaltation It is common to others Iesus the sonne of Syrach and Ioshua Heb. 4. 8. They doe not bow at the Name of Christ or Immanuel or at the mention of any other Person in the Trinity 3. In making it a name of a Sect the Jesuites are so termed from it Vide Bezam in 1 Cor. 2. 21. They should rather be called Ignatians of Ignatius the first author of their Society and Order 4. In abusing it for a charm to cast out Devils The Scripture indeed saith By thy Name but the meaning is by thy power have we cast out Devils They abuse that place Acts 3. 16. His Name hath made this man strong that is say they the Apostles pronounced the Name Jesus and the pronunciation of this name hath a force of driving away Devils or doing other miracles the Name of Christ there is Christ himself or his power The Jews out of the word Iesu make the number of â—16 by the Letters and there they have curses and blasphemies scarce to be named Calverts Annot. on the blessed Jew of Morocco The Arminians say Salvation may be had without knowledge of or faith in Christ Jesus Vide Musaeum contra Vedel c. 9. Act. 4. 12. Some of the ancient Fathers before the rising of the Pelagian Heresie who had so put on Christ as Lipsius speaks that they had not fully put off Plato have unadvisedly dropt some speeches seeming to grant that divers men before the Incarnation living according to the dictates of right reason might be saved without faith in Christ. The Quession is not Whether a Gentile believing in Christ may be saved But Whether a man by the conduct of Nature without the knowledge of Christ may come to heaven The assertion whereof we condemn as wicked Pelagian Socinian Heresie and think that it was well said of Bernard That many labouring to make Plato a Christian do prove themselves to be Heathens The Patriarchs and Jews believed in Christum exhibendum moriturum as we in him Exhibitum mortuum Gen. 12. 3. 49. 10. Psal. 27. 8. 110. Bowing at the name of Jesus is defended by Mountague Orig. Eccles. part 1. pag. 123. And Parre on the Romans seems from Zanchy and Paraeus to justifie it but it is generally disliked by the soundest Divines The second Title by which he is termed is a Redeemer by which is expressed in part the manner how he saved us even by buying us out of the hands of our enemies For to save signifieth to deliver without intimating the means of delivering but to redeem noteth also the way how the deliverance was accomplished even by paying a price a valuable consideration in regard of which the party captived and forfeited to death or bonds should be restored to his liberty and good estate again And this kind of deliverance is the fairest deliverance the only way of procuring deliverance when a person is made miserable by his own default and fallen into the hands of Justice joyned with perfect strength so that there is neither reason
no other helps to make him understand the same but his own reason and understanding according to the true principles of it by reading only and barely those writings he should come and that certainly and infallibly to the knowledge of all things necessary for his salvation Neither is any thing requisite to the right understanding of the Scriptures in points of necessity to life and salvation but alone the diligent perusing and meek receiving of the same And yet Christ performeth this outward teaching in a fourth degree by the Ministry of his servants from time to time the Pastors and Teachers of all ages whom he raiseth up and instructeth in the knowledge of his truth that they may instruct the people And this is the outward teaching the inward is noted where he saith You shall be all taught of God it is the work of his Spirit putting into the minde a light to conceive the things taught and inclining it to hearken and consent to them of which there are two degrees the first fainter and lesser breeding a kind of belief or opinion the second is more deep and stable by which men are rooted and grounded in faith and do firmly believe the known truth and are guided and ruled by it The Properties of Christs Prophetical Office are two 1. He is a great Prophet as the people say Luk. 7. 16. indeed the greatest of all the Prophets that reveals all things as the woman of Samaria could say He shall shew us all things 2. He is a faithful Prophet in all his house as Moses also was faithful and his faithfulnesse stands in this that he did acquaint his Church with the whole will of God without adding and diminishing as Moses did and that he did as fully accomplish all the things typified as Moses did declare and set them down but it stands not in this that he gave a particular direction for all external things about his worship and government as Moses did for that we are sure he hath not done in his Gospel neither indeed was to do The Pope opposeth Christ in his Prophetical Office in making himself infallible he brings in new Sacraments unknown to Christ and his Apostles Christ is the onely absolute Doctor of his Church Matth. 23. 8. See Matth. 17. 5. Revel 5. 7 8. The Church of Rome hath added Traditions Will-worship humane Inventions to the Scripture Mahomet is extolled by many as the great Prophet of the world So you have the Prophetical Office of Christ now follows the third viz. He is King to which we may adde that of Lord because his Kingdom and Lordship signifie in a manner the same thing both serving to expresse the power and authority which he hath and exerciseth in and over his Church Psal. 72. per tot Isa. 9. 6. Micah 5. 2. 1 Tim. 6. 14. There is a three-fold Kingdom of Christ mentioned in the holy Scripture The first is his Kingdom of power or excellency whereby he being God is the supream Lord of all things Psal. 24. 1. 2. The Kingdom of his grace whereby he rules in the hearts of all his elect ever since the world began Psal. 2. 6. Zech. 9. 9. Ier. 23. 5. Ezek. 37. 22. Luk. 11. 20. 17. 21. 3. Of glory whereby he himself is now in endlesse and perfect felicity and of which happinesse his Saints shall one day partake Luk. 23. 42. 12. 32. Luk. 13. 29. 1 Cor. 6. 9. 2 Pet. 2. 11. Crakanth of the Pâ—pes Tempor Monarc cap. 2. See more there This Government is a right of immediate executing the soveraign authority of God over all creatures in ordine ad salutem in order to the salvation of his elect Ioh. 3. 34 35. Christ was born a King but he entered not into his Kingly Office till after his resurrection Psal. 2. 6 7. He was a Priest and Prophet on earth Yet this is that which brings in the benefit of all the other Offices and makes us partakers of all the good in Christ. Of which the means are outwardly his Word and the Ministery thereof and inwardly his holy Spirit worketh in and by the Word The parts of it are First Governing and guiding his Subjects in the wayes which he hath appointed them to walk in and subduing the temptations of Satan and the world and lusts of the flesh to them and rewarding them at the last with eternall glory Secondly Confounding and destroying all his enemies and treading them under his feet The properties of it are 1. It is not a civil or earthly but a spiritual Kingdom Iohn 18. 36. 1 Cor. 15. 47. Rom. 14. 1. which doth look to the Spirit reacheth to the conscience and spiritual things it is not carnal nor of this world nor looketh to the outward man alone The King is spiritual viz. the Lord from Heaven the Subjects are spiritual viz. the Church regenerate the Law whereby the Church is governed is spiritual viz. the Gospel the goods bestowed upon the Church are spiritual as remission of sins the Spirit of grace and the manner of government is spiritual 2. Universal and that in four respects 1. In respect of all ages and times other Kings have the time of their rise and fall this dominion is eternal it shall have no end 2. In respect of all places Rev. 5. 9. to the end 3. In respect of all creatures Rev. 5. 4. In respect of all things and actions For him hath God the Father made Lord and King and he doth powerfully administer his Church to the sanctification preservation and salvation of those which refuse not to submit Christ doth one thing more then all Kings for their Subjects for he maketh his Subjects seeing all by nature are his enemies but by his Word and Spirit he subdueth them to the obedience of his will 1 Cor. 14. 25. that he may glorifie himself and his Father in their salvation 3. Absolute Rev. 19. Christ is Lord Paramount 1 Tim. 6. 14. He is a King by a threefold right 1. Of birth Gal. 4. 1. 2. Of donation Psal. 2. 8. Ioh. 17. 2. 3. Conquest Rev. 1. 18. He is King in Heaven in respect of his glory in Earth in respect of his grace in hell in respect of his justice Christ as Mediator is the Churches head 1 Cor. 11. 32. Ephes. 1. 22. 4. 15. 5. 28. Col. 1. 1. 2. 18 19. He is their head Ratione Unionis Ratione Regiminis Ratione Influentiae 1. In respect of Union 2. In respect of Guidance 3. In respect of Influence The Government of the Church is upon his shoulders Isa. 9. 6. 22. 21 22. Matth. 28. 19 20. Ephes. 1. 20 21. Psal. 68. 18. He is the onely head and King of his Church the Government of the Church is part of his Kingly Office He as Mediator hath the Government of the Church committed to him 1. The Church Mystical the number of all the Saints of God whether
and so are many able Protestant Divines Rivet in Gen. 28. Exercit. 125. and in his Iesuita vapulans Capel in Thes. Theol. Salmur Mr Cartw. against the Rhemists on Heb. 7. 4. and in his necessity of Discipline Mr Dod. Bishop Carleton Dr Prideaux Dr Sclater and Mr. Whateley were for the affirmative The Question saith Mr. Mede on Act. 5. 3 4 5. should not be Whether Tithes are due to the Ministers of the Gospel meaning as a duty of the people unto them but rather Whether they be not due unto God for so is the style of the Scripture All the tithes are mine these I give to Levi and not you There are many other uses for the imploiment of Bona Sacra if they be more then is competent for them and theirs Of Preaching It is in a setled state of things the publick interpretation and application of Scripture by a Minister assigned to the Office to a Congregation assembled for that purpose Or it may be defined A sound explicating of Gods Word with application of it in the way of Power and Office by him who is thereunto called 1. An Explication of Gods Word Nehem. 8. 8. The Levites when they read the Law of God or gave the distinct sense and meaning of the words So must the Minister he is commanded to divide the Word aright See Luke 24. 27 32. 2. Sound or right Explication for there is a depraving of the Scripture 3. With Application Reprove Rebuke Exhort with all long-suffering and Doctrine See 1 Cor. 14. 3. 2 Tim. 4. 2. 4. By Office and Power in him that is called So the general duty which lies on every Christian may be distinguished from the peculiar Office â—â— a Minister private Christians are to teach and admonish one another there is an Exhortation Charitative and Potestative which belongs to him that is called One saith It is an Ordinance of Christ whereby persons have received Gifts from Heaven and are separated to that Office to make known the will of God for the perfecting of the Saints The efficient cause is 1. Supream and principal Jesus Christ. 2. Instrumental persons which have received Gifts from heaven are called and set a part to the Ministery Secondly The material cause of it the Doctrine of Salvation Thirdly The formal making it known and applying it Fourthly The final for the perfecting of the Saints By the Word preached 1. Light shines in unto men Psal. 19. 7. to the end 2. It helps the Saints to mortifie their corruption Psal. 119. 9. 3. By it we conquer the devil Ephes. 6. 4. We overcome the World Iohn 5. It inableth us to perform the duties of our relations Col. 3. 16. to bear all crosses Rom. 5. 4. 6. Fils us with consolation and keep us from being Apostates The word is interpreted aright by declaring 1. The order 2. The Summe or Scope 3. The Sense of the words which is done by framing a Rhetorical and Logical Analysis of the Text. Preaching consists of these Ingredients 1. Right Understanding 2. True dividing 3. Faithful interpreting 4. Zealous uttering 5. Powerfull applying It is not I suppose simply necessary one should take a set Text. Christ when he executed the Office of a Minister here on earth and taught the people sometimes interpreted a place which he took out of the Scripture as Luâ— 4. 17. out of Isaiah sometime without any set Text he spoke those things which were most apt for the edifying of the Church For the most part Christ preached sitting as Matth. 5. 1. Matth. 26. 55. Luk. 4. 16. Iohn 8. 2. so did others who came to great place and dignity in the Church ordinarily preach sitting too and therefore their Churches were called Cathedral because they preached sitting in chairs The Apostles were wont more often to stand as is manifest from Act. 13. and other places Christ sate to shew his great and eminent authority The Apostles stood to shew their respect to Gods people Raynold de lib. Apoc. Whether private persons not in office may preach If they have a Calling either it is Ordinary or Extraordinary if ordinary then they are not only gifted but tried and separated to it That men though gifted without being called to the Ministery and by Ordination set apart for it should take upon them the Office or ordinary exercise of preaching seems repugnant to those Scriptures Rom. 10. 15. Heb. 5. 4. 1 Tim. 5. 22. Christ therefore frequently urgeth this That he was sent from his Father Punishments have been inflicted on those that have medled beyond their Call as Uzziah Three places are alledged for Lay-mens preaching Rom. 12. 6. 1 Cor. 14. 31. Act. 8. 14. for their venting their experiences as they call it For the first place he means those that are by Office Prophets and Ministers or Deacons they must preach not those that have abilities only for then it will follow those that have ability may baptize and rule too The word Gift is used in Scripture for the Office it self or gifted calling Ephes. 4. 8 11. Two things are required to a calling Gifts and Authority Iohn 20. 21 22. For 1 Cor. 14. some think Paul speaks in that place not of ordinary preaching but of prophesying by the Spirit that is by Revelation Mr Cotton tels us these were not ordinary private men but such as had extraordinary Gifts the Gift of Tongues and the like liberty of preaching is not allowed them that want the like Gifts See 1 Cor. 12. 28 29 30. That place Act. 8. may receive answer from my Annotations on Acts. 11. 20. a like place Some learned Divines though they hold none may enter into the Ministery without a peculiar Call yet do say that a private man sufficiently gifted if he have the approbation of the Church may teach publickly they build it on that place 1 Cor. 14. where when the beleevers did meet together they are allowed to prophesie Mr Lyford in his Apology for our publick Ministery and Infant-Baptism Conclus 2. pag. 27 28. proves by three Reasons that the prophesying 1 Cor. 14. was extraordinary and not a standing ordinary Gift in the Church and others are of his judgement as Mr. Norton in his answer to Apolloâ—ius Chap. 11. and vers 30. of this Chapter proves as much The Scriptures lay down these Rules First No man must preach except he be sent take any office upon him unlesse he be approved a Gospel-order is to be preserved the Deacon the meanest order is to be approved A man is not to call himself nor to be a Judge of his own sufficiency Secondly People are admonished to take heed what they hear Mark 4. 24. and whom they hear 2 John 10 11. Thirdly Some will undertake to be teachers though they be never so ignorant of the things they teach 1 Tim. 1. 7. Fourthly Under this pretence false Prophets go forth into the world to corrupt the truths of God and poison the
2. 5. God doth work most mightily with such preaching Ioh. 4. 18 19. Act. 2. 36 37. Reasons 1. Every man through the self-love and hypocrisie that is in his heart is apt to put from himself to others general Doctrines and Reproofs Matth. 21. 41. see 45 46. verses 2. Till mens sins be effectually discovered to them they can never attain to any saving grace Iohn 16. 8. Tit. 1. 13. 3. Practice is the end of knowledge and nothing is perfect till it attain its end If you know these things happy are you if you do them Truths are never fully and exactly known but in the experience and practice of them hence that expression Tast and see CHAP. III. Of Ecclesiastical Iurisdiction and Government THat there is an Ecclesiastical Government distinct from the Civil it is apparent seeing the Church and the State are distinct their Governments must be also distinct Yea the Church may be not only distinct but separate from the State neither the supream nor subordinate powers being incorporate in the Church but meer aliens from it and perhaps enemies to it God hath established two distinct powers on earth the one of the Keys committed to the Church the other of the Sword committed to the Civil Magistrate That of the Keys is ordained to work on the inward man having immediate relation to the remitting or retaining of sins That of the Sword is appointed to work upon the outward man yeelding protection to the obedient and inflicting external punishment upon the rebellious and disobedient Some call it the power of the Keys others Ecclesiastical Discipline others Church-government That there is a Church-power appeareth plainly by Christs giving them the Keys Matth. 16. 18 19. Iohn 20. 23. and also in the titles of Shepherds Governours Rulers and Guides Heb. 13. 7 17. 1 Cor. 12. 28. God hath set in the Church the other things there reckoned are all peculiar to the Church There is a two-fold Ministerial power 1. Potestas ordinis which consists meerly in preaching the Word and administring the Sacraments 2. Iurisdictionis whereby they govern in the Church by binding the Impenitent and losing the Penitent The Object of this spiritual power are religious things in a religious consideration but it is not an absolute supream power The Ministerial power manifests it self 1. In doctrinal decisions of matters of faith 2. In making wholsom ecclesiastical Laws 3. In executing Church-censures But though they have power of declaring Gods will concerning matters of faith and worship to the people yet they cannot make any new Article of faith nor propound any thing as necessary to be beleeved to salvation It is a great Question Penes quos sit potestas Ecclesiastica Who are the subject of this Ecclesiastical power The Community of the faithfull much lesse two or three separated from the world and gathered together into the name of Christ by a Covenant are not the proper and immediate subject of power ecclesiastical Matth. 28. 19 20. Iohn 20. 21 22. 21. 15 16. were spoken to special persons not the whole community The Apostle Act. 20. 28 speaks unto the Presbyters of Ephesus and saith That they were appointed Overseers by the holy Ghost that they might govern the Church of God M. Rutherford saith The Keys were given for the Church but not to the Church Mr. Norton urgeth Act. 14. 23. to prove the power to be in the fraternity it is said there That Presbyters were ordained by Paul and Barnabas in every Church They were ordained in the Churches but not by them He urgeth also Act. 6. that proves nothing but that the election of Officers doth some way belong to the people but that their Authority depends on the people cannot be thence collected Mr. Norton Chap. 5. of that Book saith Quod exercetur nomine Christi recipitur immediatè à Christo. At officium Rectorum exercetur nomine Christi 2 Cor. 5. 20. Here he not only grants but also proves Rectores Ecclesiae esse immediatum subjectum potestatis against which he asserted and argued in his fourth Chapter And after in the same fifth Chapter he saith Multitudo non committit potestatem Ecclesiae Rectoribus tantum designat personas therefore it is not the first and immediate subject of ecclesiastical power which he endeavoured to prove Chap. 4. Excommunication is the greatest and last censure of the Church Iudicium maximum tremendum See Mat. 16. 18. Mat. 17. 18. 1 Cor. 5. This Ordinance is usefull 1. To the whole Church hereby the honour and beauty of the Church of Christ is preserved from the defilement and scandal which such an offence would bring upon it otherwise the evil example would infect 1 Cor. 5. 4. this was typified by the Leper whom God would have shut up in his Tent least the rest of the Congregation should be infected 2. Gods people are hereby made more watchful 3. It is useful to the offender himself for the saving of his soul is the end of it 1 Cor. 5. 3. and that he may not commit the like fault again 1 Tim. 1. 20. The power of Excommunication Formaliter executivè is proper to the company or assembly of Governours and Rulers in the Church derived from Christ to be exercised as Christ shall go before them but with notice to and due regard had of the whole society The Parts of Excommunication are First Admonition 1 Thess. 5. 14. 1. This must be for a sin reprovable 2. For scandalous matters not infirmities which are mourned for 3. Managed with wisdom zeal and love Gal. 6. 1. Secondly Excommunication which is to be executed on men for corrupt opinions Titus 3. 9 10. Revelat. 2. 15. 2. Sinful practices 2 Thess. 3. 6. 1 Cor. 5. 11. It is a Question An Episcopus prasit Presbytero jure divino A Bishop is a man chosen out among the Ministers to have chief Authority in the ordaining of Ministers in a certain Circuit and overseeing them with their flocks The Christian world saw no other Government for fourteen hundred years after Christ. Some urge this for the lawfulness of their Office by Gods Word By proportion of the chief Priests under the Law and of the Apostles under the Gospel The high Priest was set over the other Priests and over the Levites Numb 3. 4. Chapter The twelve Apostles were more eminent then the seventy Disciples and not only exceeded in excellency of Gifts but in amplitude of Authority and power Now say they it is the constant Doctrine of all the Fathers that the Bishops succeeded the Apostles in the ordinary Government of the Church as also the Presbyters succeeded the Seventy Disciples Episc. Dav. Determinat 42. See B. Barlow Antiq and Superiority of Bishops Ierom saith The order of Bishops came in by meer custome of the Church to avoid Schisms which arose for want of Heads but how can that be when it was
compleatly righteous 2 Cor. 5. 21. Our sinne was in Christ not inherently but by way of imputation therefore his righteousnesse is so in us See Act. 13. 38 39. Phil. 3. 9. The Papists acknowledge all to be by grace as well as we but when we come to the particular explication there is a vast difference they mean grace inherent in us and we grace without us that is the love and favour of God Arguments against them 1. That grace by which we are justified is called the love of God Rom. 5. 8. not love active whereby we love God but love passive that is that whereby we are loved of him Rom. 9 15. All our salvation is ascribed to the mercy of God which is not something in us but we are the objects of it Titus 3 4. Those words imply some acts of God to us which we are only the objects of To be justified or saved by the grace of God is no more then to be saved by the love the mercy the philanthropy of God all which do evidently note that it is not any thing in us but all in God 2. Grace cannot be explained to be a gracious habit or work because it is opposed to these Rom. 11. 4. Titus 3. 5. Ephes. 2. 8. by grace is as much as not by works not of our selves 3. It appears by the condition we are described to be in when justified which is set down Rom. 4. a not imputing sin a justifying the ungodly the Apostle there instanceth in Abraham who had so much inward grace in him yet was considered in Justification as unholy and he was justified in this that God imputed not to him the imperfections he was guilty of For the imputation of Christs righteousnesse there is justitia mediatoris that is imputed not justitia mediatoria as they say in Logick Natura generis communicatur non natura generica The righteousnesse by which the just are justified before God is justitia legis though not legalis Isa. 53. He bore our sins in his body on the tree He was made sin for us See Rom. 3. 25. To speak properly the will or grace of God is the efficient cause of Justification the material is Christs righteousnesse the formal is the imputing of this righteousnesse unto us and the final is the praise and glory of God so that there is no formal cause to be sought for in us Some say but falsly the righteousnesse by which we are formally justified before God is not the righteousnesse of Christ but of faith that being accepted in the righteousnesse of the Law Fides tincta sanguine Christi Whether inherent justice be actual or habitual Bishop Davenant cap. 3. de habituali justitia saith a certain habitual or inherent justice is infused into all that are justified Iohn 1. 13. 2 Cor. 5. 17. Gal. 6. 15. 1 Cor. 6. 11 19. 2 Pet. 1. 4. All those that are justified do supernatural works Ergò It is certain that they are endued with supernatural grace and holinesse We are said to be righteous from this inherent justice we are said to be just and that by God himself Gen. 6. 9. Heb. 11. 4. Luk 1. 61. 2. 25. 1 Pet. 4. 18. Bellarmine lib. 5. de Iustificatione cap. 7. prop. 3. saith Propter incertitudineâ—â— propriae justitiae periculum inanis gloriae tutissimum est fiduciam in sola Dei misericordia benignitate reponere By which saying he overthrows all his former Dispute about inherent righteousnesse Whether we be justified by the passive obedience of Christ alone or also by his active In this Controversie many learned Divines of our own differ among themselves and it doth not seem to be of that importance that some others are about Justification We are justified in part by Christs active obedience for by it we obtain the imputation of that perfect righteousnesse which giveth us title to the Kingdom of Heaven Seeing it was not possible for us to enter into life till we had kept the Commandments of God Mat. 19. 17. and we were not able to keep them our selves it was necessary our Surety should keep them for us Dan. 9. 24. Rom. 10. 4. Rom. 3. 21. The Scripture seemeth to ascribe our Redemption wholly to Christs bodily death and the bloud that he shed for us Eph. 1. 7. Rev. 5. 9. but in these places the holy Ghost useth a Synecdoche it putteth one part of Christs passion for the whole 1. Because the shedding of his bloud was a sensible sign and evidence that he died for us 2. This declared him to be the true propitiatory Sacrifice that was figured by all the Sacrifices under the Law Some urge this Argument By Christs active Obedience imputed to them the faithful be made perfectly righteous what need is there then of his passive righteousnesse need there any more then to be made righteous Christ fulfilled the duty of the Law and did undergo the penalty that last was a satisfaction for the trespasse which was as it were the forfeiture and the fulfilling the Law was the principal Psal. 40. 4. Ior. 31. 3. Gal. 4. 4. Some to avoid Christs active Obedience question Whether Christ as man was not bound to fulfill the Law for himself All creatures are subject to Gods authority Yet this detracts not from his active Obedience partly from his own free condescension and partly because his whole person God and man obeyed CHAP. VII Of the Parts and Termes of Iustification Remission of sins and Imputation of Christs Righteousnesse JUstification is used so largely in the Scripture as to comprehend under it Remission of sins but if we will speak accurately there is a difference between Remission of sin and the justification of the sinner The justification of a sinner properly and strictly is the cleansing and purging of a sinner from the guilt of his sins by the gift and imputation of the righteousnesse of his Surety Jesus Christ for which his sins are pardoned and the sinner freed from the punishment of sinne and received into the favour of God Remission or forgivenesse of sins may be thus described It is a blessing of God upon his Church procured by the death and passion of Christ whereby God esteems of sinne as no sinne or as not committed Or thus It is an act of grace acquitting the sinner from the guilt and whole punishment of sin Every subject of Christs Kingdom hath his sins pardoned Isa. 33. ult This is one of the priviledges of the Church in the Apostles Creed Acts 2. 38 39. and all his sins totally pardoned Exod. 34. 6 7. Micah 7. 18 19. This is a great priviledge Psal. 32. 1. Exod. 31. 34. It is no where to be had but in the Church because it is purchased by Christs bloud and is a fruit of Gods eternal love Remission of sins is the principal part of Redemption Col. 1. 14. Ephes. 1. 7. one of the chief things
to the precise number of seven for we find it not in any of the Fathers or other Writers whatsoever before a thousand years after Christ have shewed that the seven are not all Sacraments if the name of Sacrament be taken properly and straitly Rainolds against Hart. The number of seven Sacraments was not determined untill the dayes of Peter Lombard which lived 1151 years after Christ. None but Christ onely can institute a Sacrament Their Schoolmen Alensis and Holcot have denied confirmation to be from Christ his Institution their Hugo Lombard Bonaventure Alensis Altisiodorus have affirmed the same of extream Unction which in the primitive Church by the judgement of their Cassander was not so extream Matrimony and Confirmation were held by the Schoolmen to be no Sacrament Iohn the Evangelist notes that out of the side of Christ being dead there came bloud and water hence arose the Sacraments of the Church Paul twice joynes them both together 1 Cor. 10. 1. 12. 12 13. The Fathers intreating precisely of the Sacraments of the New Testament do only expresse two Baptism and the Eucharist so Ambrose in his Treatise properly written of the Sacraments and Cyril in his Book entituled a Catechism Onely Baptism and the Lords Supper in the New Testament were instituted by Christ Matth. 28. 24. therefore they onely are Sacraments of the New Testament Christ did onely partake in these two Paul acknowledgeth but these two 1 Cor. 10. 2 3 4. Matrimony 1. being ordained before the fall can be no Sacrament which is a seal of the Promise and Covenant of Grace after and by reason of the fall 2. It is not proper to the Church as Sacraments are but common to Jews Turks and Infidels 3. Every Sacrament belongs to every member of the Church but this belongs not to their Priests and Votaries See M. Cartw. Rejoynd par 2. p. 82 83. Cajetane denies that the Text of Iohn 20. 23. and Ephes. 5. 32. and Iam. 5. 4. being the sole grounds of Scripture which Papists have for three of their Sacraments Auricular Confession Matrimony and Extream Unction do teach any such thing It came not from the Lord to ordain one Sacrament for the Clergy as Orders a second for the Laity alone as Marriage a third for catechized ones as Confirmation a fourth for sick ones as Unction a fifth for lapsed ones as Penance These are no Scripture but tradition Sacraments The Councel of Trent thus argues There are seven defects of a man seven degrees of the body seven Aegyptian plagues seven planets seven dayes in the week they should adde also seven heads of the Beast Therefore there are seven Sacraments Vide Aquin. part 3. Quaest. 65. Art 1. X. The use of the Sacraments of the New Testament 1. To quicken our dulnesse and stirre up our care in performing the duties whereto the Gospel bindeth us viz. to endeavour and labour to repent and beleeve and obey out of an assured confidence that God will accept and help our endeavours 2. To confirm and stablish our hearts in faith that we may setledly beleeve that God hath and will perform the good things sealed up viz. Remission of sins sanctification and salvation all the spiritual blessings of the new Covenant The uses or ends of the Sacraments are especially three 1. To strengthen faith 2. To seal the Covenant between God and us 3. To be a badge of our profession Atters of the Sac. l. 1. c. 3. XI Whether any other but a Minister lawfully called and ordained may administer the Sacraments Baptism and the Lords Supper It is held by the Reformed Churches and by the soundest Protestant Writers That neither of these Sacraments may be dispensed by any but by a Minister of the Word lawfully ordained 1. God hath appointed the Ministers of the Word lawfully called and ordained and no other to be stewards and dispensers of the mysteries of Christ 1 Cor. 4. 1. Tit. 1. 5 7. 2. He hath appointed them to be Pasâ—ors or Shepherds To feed the stock of God Ier. 3. 15. Ephes. 4. 11. Acts 20. 28. 1 Pet. 5. 2. much of this feeding consists in the dispensation of the Sacraments 3. Christ gives a Commission to the Apostles to teach and baptize and extends the same Commission to all teaching Ministers to the end of the world Matth. 28. 19. 20. Ephes. 4. 11 12 13. Neither of the Sacraments have efficacy unlesse they be administred by him that is lawfully called thereunto or a person made publick and cloathed with Authority by Ordination This errour in the matter of Baptism is begot by another errour of the absolute necessity of Baptism Mr. Hendersons second Paper to the King The Scripture joyneth together the preaching of the Word and dispensations of the seals both belonging to the Officers who have received Commission from Jesus Christ Mat. 28. 19. 1 Cor. 1. M. Ball. Heb. 5. 4. No man takes this honour but he which is called as was Aaron which sentence doth manifestly shut out all private persons from administration of Baptism seeing it is a singular honour in the Church of God Cartw. 2d Reply 11th Tractate The example of Zipporah either was rash or singular and also no way like womens baptizing Circumcision was then commanded the Head of the Family Baptism belongs only to Ministers Matth. 28. she circumcised her son when he was not in danger of death as these baptize CHAP. VIII Of Baptism BAptism is taken sometimes for the superstitious Jewish ablutions and legal purifications as certain representations of our Baptism as Mark 7. 3 4. and Heb. 9. 10. Sometimes by a Synecdoche for the Ministery of the Doctrine and Baptism of Iohn Mat. 21. 25. Acts 1. 5. Sometimes for the miraculous and extraordinary gifts of the holy Ghost Acts 1. 5. Sometimes by a Metaphor for the crosse and afflictions Matth. 20. 22. Luke 12. 50. Lastly for the sign of the Covenant of Grace Mat. 28. 19 20. Mar. 16. 15 15. Our Lord took Baptism as some have observed from the Jews baptizing of Proselytes and washing of themselves from uncleannesse which was known and usual among them And he chose the Lords Supper likewise from a custom observed among the Jews at the Passeover at the end of the celebration whereof the Fathers of Families were wont to take a Cake of bread and after the blessing thereof to break and distribute it to the Communicants As also after that a Cup of wine in the like sort Whereunto that may have reference Ps. 116. 12 13. Iohns Pref. to his Christian Plea This custom Nestrezat Tableandu Sacrament de la Saincte Cene also mentions and saith The Master of the Family in giving the bread to every one of his domesticks set at a Table used these words Hold Eat This is the bread of the misery which our Parents did eat in Egypt and he quotes Deut. 16. 3. Baptism is the Sacrament of our initiation or ingraffing into Christ
do not admonish complain of or withdraw themselves from scandalous offenders In a word when many of these things are either in whole or in part omitted that are appointed then is this Commandment broken So that according to the number of duties commanded so must the breaches of this Commandment be numbred in case any of them be wholly or in part neglected Now I come to shew the sins of Commission that is the doing of things contrary to the duties commanded even things that are forbidden Sins of Commission are here of two sorts 1. Direct 2. Indirect The former being simply and of themselves sins the other sins by a consequent and in some respect annexed to them Direct breaches of this Commandment are in regard of performing these Ordinances and in regard of preserving and continuing them For performance here are two things forbidden The tendering of a false worship or abasing of the true False worship is a worship not enjoyned by God for the measure of Gods worship is the manifestation of his will wherefore what agrees not with that as being inconformable to the right rule of worship is worship alone in shew and appearance that is feigned and counterfeit like bad coyn not true and right Now worship is false in regard of the Object and Parts of it For the Object it is false First When the true God himself is intended to be worshipped but under some visible or sensible representation when I say God set forth by any Picture or Image is worshipped or when any such Image is used as a means to derive and convey honour unto him by This was the sinne of the Israelites in the wildernesse for they purposed in their intention to serve that God which brought them out of Aegypt but for the better helping of them in this worship and to stir up their devotion they would set up the image of an Ox a most beneficial creature whose labour did yield them through Gods blessing the best means of maintenance and living somewhat to represent God unto them and to bring his benefits unto their mindes So Aaron professeth when he saith To morrow shall be an holy day to the Lord. This was likewise the sinne of Micah the Ephraimite he made a Teraphim and had an house of Images Teraphim was the Image of a man â—e made this to worship God in and by for he saith Now I know Iehovah will blesse me it must needs be that he purposed to worship that God of whom he did expect a blessing for his worship and his mother had vowed the silver to Iehovah to make a graven and molten Image wherefore this Image vowed to Iehovah must needs be intended to serve Iehovah by This was the sinne of Ieroboam who said of the Calves These are thy gods that did bring thee out of the Land as if he had proclaimed that he intended to do service to the God of their Fathers but he thought it convenient to have him represented to them by these figures and under these Images to have service tendred unto him And therefore David chargeth the Israelites to have changed their glory meaning God who was indeed their glory into a similitude of a Calf that is to have set up an image of a Calf to represent him by and Paul saith the same of the wiser Heathen that they did worship God but not as God but changed the glory of that incorruptible God into the similitude of a corruptible man that is they went about to set out and represent to themselves the glorious maker of all things by sueh base and inglorious pictures as if there could be any proportion betwixt God and a dead Image the workmanship of mans hands which is indeed a great embasing of their apprehension of his Majesty causing them at last to think as meanly of God as of a thing that could be so set forth yea this is the sinne the Prophet so findes fault with in Gods Name saying What similitude will you set up to me and whereunto will you liken me And this is the sinne of the Popish Church which they continually commit and maintain and by which they have so corrupted themselves that they even cease to be the true Church of God and are turned into a company of spiritual adulterers for that Church with the wine of her fornications hath made almost all Nations drunken to whom hath she not conveyed the infection of this foul Idolatry God must be worshipped under the picture of an aged man the holy Ghost under the similitude of a Dove the Sonne of God under the similitude of a man hanging on the Crosse all foul Idolatries for seeing that Christ is God as well as man he is no more to have an Image set up to him then the Father or holy Ghost seeing the Divinity is not representable and the humanity without the Deity is not Christ so that it is nothing but a strong fancy makes men take any picture for Christs picture for seeing his natural physiognomy is wholly concealed in Scripture and no approved story hath acquainted us with it and seeing his Deity is wholly irrepresentible why should any picture drawn by man be called a picture of Christ rather then of the thief that hanged by him It must needs be a very dead devotion that a dead picture can provoke This is the first falshood of worship for the Object when the true God is intended as the Object but under some picture or representation for God represented by an Image is now become an Idol seeing the true God hath disavowed all such representing This is the first kinde of Idolatry Another is When a creature hath these kindes of worship performed to him or any like them which God hath appointed to himself and so becomes the object of worship so Paul to the Galatians defines Idolatry to be a serving of the creature or of those things which by nature are not Gods He useth the word serving which utterly overturns that fond distinction of worship and service mentioned by Papists to shift off the blame of this sinne to serve that which by nature is not God is flat Idolatry Now there are divers creatures which have been and are worshipped with the worship due to God or something like it and coined in imitation of it First Angels which thing began in the time of the Apostles and is by Paul writing to the Colossians condemned as a base will-worship Secondly Saints departed which grew into the Church long after by degrees and was rife since four hundred years after Christ amongst many though not allowed by the authority of the Church-Governours as after it was by building Churches dedicating Altars and dayes and offering Incense and the like to these all which are still in use and practice among the Popish Churches yea are by them maintained as very devout and profitable exercises for what more common then Invocation of Saints with
neither are indeed profitable for the soul this is a false Ministry Such is the Ministry of the Church of Rome where men are appointed to say and sing the Word Psalms and Prayers in an unknown tongue a service unhallowed not ordained of God so when men are appointed and assigned to offer a propitiatory Sacrifice for quick and dead that is as they call it to celebrate Masse for Christ never appointed a sacrificing Ministry in the New Testament nor any other Sacrifice but the Sacrifice of prayers thanksgivings alms and of our selves And this is the first abuse of Church-Discipline The second is When those that are not Ministers are allowed to intermeddle in ministerial functions and actions proper to the Ministers that is to men set apart by a known and publick order to give attendance unto some Ecclesiastical function As for example amongst us once women were admitted to baptize and so if any do take upon him to preach or administer the Sacrament that is not admitted to the order of the Ministery This is a great abuse of Church-Discipline and to joyn with such knowing them to be such is a sinne A third fault in the Church-Discipline for the Ministery is when wicked erroneous scandalous men are let in and suffered to abide in yea or any without due care of trying them for Timothy was to lay hands upon none rashly A fourth fault is when good and able men are either kept out or thrust out for things of no moment And these be the abuses of Church-Discipline in regard of the Ministry The abuses of it in regard of the people follow as First In the Governours publickly when either Excommunication is abused or when too much rigour is used toward the penitent Now Excommunication is abused three wayes 1. When it is put into the hands of too few especially such as have nothing to do with it which was the fault amongst us formerly for the Chancellour or Official or his Deputy as the Deputy of the Bishop took all the matter upon him some Ministers names though not the Pastour to the offender being set to alone as a cipher for fashion sake This being a chief part of governing the Church belongs to the Pastours of the Church Paul did not himself excommunicate but appointed that the Corinthians should excommunicate the incestuous person Indeed he did deliver Hymeneus and Alexander to Satan as it seemeth himself but this was because they themselves were Pastours and so would not excommunicate themselves or taking upon them to be teachers of the Church at large were not to be medled with by any particular Governours of any particular Church But if the Apostles did alone do this in regard of their supereminent Authority it follows not that others may do it now for in this unlimited and supereminent power the Apostles were not to finde any Successours because they had no Successours in the eminency of Gifts without which such Authority must needs prove mischievous in any one mans hands Secondly Excommunication is abused when it is pronounced against men for small and trivial offences to pronounce a man a child of the devil and out of the state of grace because he will not pay a small summe of money for a fee or because he forgets to appear at the Court-day or for such toyes but most of all it is abused when it is pronounced against men for well-doing as it was against the blinde man and as Diotrephes abused it against those that would receive Iohn the Apostle and his Epistles as often heretofore amongst us it was abused against those that refused rashly and unadvisedly to swear when they were willed so to do and against those that went to hear the Word preached abroad when they had it not at home and the like The last abuse of Excommunication is when it is done privately before one or two before the Judge and his man or his mans Deputy so the most solemn Censure of the Church is denounced against a man no man knowing of it So much for the abuse of Church-Discipline in regard of Excommunication now it is also abused in regard of too much rigour to the offendor when upon his repentance he is denied to be received in again to the Church which was the fault of some few men in austerer times or when too much bodily exercise of humillation was cast upon them as a penance to last seven yeers and the like this was to turn sound repentance into an outward form for so soon as ever the penitent did shew sound humiliation and sound purpose of amendment after some convenient time of his trial lest he should be swallowed up of grief he should be taken into the Church again as a member of it Now the private Discipline pertaining to every man is abused 1. By contemning and setting light by the Censures and Admonitions of the Church which if they be rightly passed they are terrible and should not be despised 2. A free conversing with offendors and sinners that are scandalous and having familiarity with them Indeed the natural bonds betwixt Father and Mother Master and Servant Prince and Subject cannot be dissolved by any wickedness no nor by Excommunication but the bonds of familiarity are so far as may be without neglect of duty in regard of these places A Father must keep his child though excommunicated and not suffer him to perish a childe his father and so in the rest but familiarity loving and kinde society even in such cases is to be denied and where these bonds are not so much as may be all society but to converse with them be merry with them play eat and drink with them that are notorious offendors chiefly excommunicate is a great offence against God and endangering of ones self to infection by them Lastly Obstinacy against Church-Discipline and publick or private admonition viz. a refusing to confess ones fault and to shew publick repentance for publick sins private for private is a great disorder which was the offence of the incestuous person at the first for he stood in his sin and cared for no reproof And Paul blames those of the Corinthians that being admonished by his betters had not repented of their fornication drunkenness he must needs mean of publick repentance for their known offences in this kinde because if they had been private he could not have told of them and whether they had in private repented or no how could he tell but yet it is sure there is no true private repentance when men are not willing to shew it publickly in such case On the other side he greatly praiseth them because they had received Titus sent by him for this purpose with much fear and trembling and so consequently with all obedience had submitted themselves to his admonition to do any thing he required for the giving of the Church satisfaction in regard of their offences 2 Cor. 7. 15. These be the sins condemned in this second
of our goods we look that he should bring them home again with thanks so must we give back to God thanks for the use of his creatures though the things themselves are allowed us still to retain them And this also is a notable acknowledgement of his Soveraign Lordship over all creatures and our absolute dependance upon him So when the Disciples returned reporting what great things they had wrought our Saviour gave thanks to his Father saying Luke 10. 21. I thank thee O Father Lord of heaven and earth So when Abrahams servant had found great successe in his journey he bows himself worshipping the Lord and saying Blessed be the Lord God of my master Gen. 24. 27. and after also v. 52. Lastly It is required that we use all the creatures of God moderately proportioning the measure of our use of them to the true ends for which God in nature hath ordained them If a man give his Servant leave to take his key and fetch so much money out of his coffer as will serve to buy such and such things which his Master would have bought he is bound to take just so much and no more to a farthing if he know the Summe if he do not particularly know the Summe as near as he can guesse thereabout and in keeping himself to his Masters direction here he shews that he accounts not himself but his Master the owner of these goods So when the Lord hath appointed meat and drink to strengthen and refresh nature attire to keep the body warm and to adorn men according to the distinction of their places and other like things for like purposes he that is carefull as near as he can to keep himself so within compasse as to use no more of these things then are requisite for these ends so near I say as he can guesse doth behave himself like a servant in the use of these things and by so using them doth give to God the honour of being the Lord and Master of them so temperanâ—e in meat and drink and all such things is a needfull duty for the sanctifying of Gods name in the use of his creatures And so much of the things commanded in this third Commandment Now of the things forbidden herein which all come to two heads 1. The abuse of those holy actions which are sometimes mingled with our common affairs viz. An Oath A Lot 2. Disordered carriage of our selves in our common affairs Of the abuse of an Oath we must speak first It is abused two wayes in regard of the 1. Taking for the 1. Matter of it in the 1. Object or thing sworn by 2. Subject or thing sworn to 2. Manner contrary to 1. Truth by a false Oath 2. Judgement by swearing 1. Ignorantly 2. Rashly or causlesly 3. Irreverently 4. Ragingly 2. Keeping By not performing a lawfull Oath 2. Keeping By performing an unlawfull The first abuse of an Oath is in regard of the thing sworn by and that is double swearing 1. By an Idol 2. By a meer creature To swear by an Idol is a great abuse of an Oath wherein Gods honour is given to his utter enemy which the Prophet condemns in the Jews Ier. 5. 7. Thy children have sworn by them that are no gods that is by false and feigned gods and Ier. 12. 16. he condemneth the Jews for having learned of the Gentiles to swear by Baal and the Prophet Zeph. 1. 5. saith That God will visit that is punish them which swear by the Lord and by Malcham For seeing an oath is a due and true worship of God how should he endure to have it translated to a false god Surely those which swear by them do bear some respect to them in their hearts and make honourable mention of them with their lips which is condemned Exod. 23. 13. Also to swear by a creature is to do more honour unto it then ought to be done to it for seeing an oath is to be taken by the greater as the Apostle saith that is one which hath authority over men to punish them if they swear amisse and that no creature is so much greater then man that he can discern to punish the disorders of his heart in swearing it is a wrong to God to set them in his room when we swear yea when God doth plainly say The Lord liveth Jer. 4. 2. and saith Thou shalt swear by his name Deut. 10. 20. 6. 13. it seemeth to me that this bidding to swear by him forbiddeth to swear by any thing besides him Here two things may be objected First That usual form of swearing which was accustomed by the people of God when they sware to say The Lord liveth and Thy soul liveth 1 Sam. 20. 3. To which we answer That in mentioning this living of the soul they do not swear by it but alone wish well unto it swearing by God and yet mentioning the soul of that party sworn unto for proof of their love and good desires of its welfare is as much as if they had said I swear by God whom I desire also to preserve thy soul. Further the Apostle 1 Cor. 15. 31. may seem to swear by his rejoycing in Christ when he saith By our rejoycing which we have in Christ Iesus our Lord we die daily To this I answer That this is as much as if he had said By Jesus Christ in whom I rejoyce so that Christ is here the sole object of the Oath and his rejoycing is mentioned as an effect of Christs power the more honourably to convey the Oath unto him See Mr Manton on Iam. 5. 12. and M. Lyfords Princip of Faith and good Consc. p. 148. So this is the first abuse of an Oath to swear by a creature or an Idol or false god An earnest protestation may it seems be made by a creature as to say as sure as I live or the like but this must not be conceived as a swearing by them or calling them to bear witnesse to the truth of our speeches There is one main difference between a Protestation and an Oath that we may lawfully protest by a creature but without sinne we cannot swear by a creature Gen. 42. 15. compared with Chap. 43. 3. seems to shew that those words By the life of Pharaoh were but a Protestation Capel of Tent. part 3. c. 5. The second abuse of an Oath is in regard of the thing sworn to and that is double 1. In an assertive Oath 2. In a promissive Oath It is in an assertive Oath when it is trivial of a small light matter of no worth and value neither in it self nor in the consequents of it For seeing an Oath is a calling God to be witnesse and judge of our speech he must not be called to witnesse for meer trifles and toyes and he that so sweareth doth not swear in judgment but rashly and inconsiderately for what is if this be not to take the name of God in vain when the
be added to the natural or else little good will be done and these are two 1. Let them pray often to God to link their hearts together 2. Let them be frequent in performing all holy exercises one with another and specially in praying one with and for another Spiritual exercises breed spiritual affection and nothing is more binding then Religion Religious duties do both expresse and increase the image of God and that is amiable So much for love Now follow trustinesse and helpfulnesse both which we will put together as Solomon doth saying of a good wife Prov. 31. 11 12. That the heart of her husband doth trust in her And again She will do him good and not evil all the daies of his life God did make man and woman for the good each of other her to be his helper and him to be her guide This trusty helpfulnesse must be to each others bodies souls names and states Bodies in the careful avoiding of all things whereby they may bring sicknesses or diseases each on other and the willing and ready providing of all things that may continue health and recover it as attendance physick and the like Souls in shunning all such carriages as may provoke each others passions or other infirmities and using all good means of loving advice and admonition to help each other out of the same Namely in concealing each others infirmities and keeping each others secrets States in joyning together in diligent labour wise fore-cast and vertuous thriftinesse Thus for themselves Now in regard of their families they must joyn together in the planting of Religion amongst them by instructing and teaching them and by reading and praying with them the man as chief the wife as his deputy in his absence also they must oversee the waies of their family by looking what is done by them and seeking to redresse by admonishing and correcting what is amisse In regard of children they are 1. To bear moderate affections toward them Rachel and Hannah immoderately desired them others mutter because they have so many 2. To train them up in the fear of God Solomon who was the tender beloved the darling of his parents makes this the instance of their love in that they taught him wisdome and acquainted him with the Laws of God It was said of Herod that it was better to be his hog then his son 3. To reprove and chasten them for their iniquities Ely a good man came to a fearful end for neglecting this So much for their joint duties Now the several duties of each come to be handled and first we begin with the wife and then proceed to the husband The wife ows in one word subjection and this twofold to the husbands Person and to his Authority To his person 1. By acknowledging her self to be his inferiour God saith to Eve Her desire shall be subject to her husband and he shall rule over her The female sex is inferiour to the male and every woman as a woman is lower and meaner then a man as the Apostle proves because the woman was after the man and for the man and she was first in the transgression therefore she may not use Ecclesiastical Authority not speak in the Church as a Minister But to her husband not as a woman onely but as a wife she is inferiour and bound in conscience to be subject to his power and jurisdiction for this is a word of eternal and constant truth He shall rule over thee which she that will not yeeld to is an enemy to God and nature and cannot be a good wife 2. She is to reverence her husbands person both inwardly in heart and outwardly Inwardly Ephes. 5. ult she must fear him not with a flavish but awful fear that is she must have her soul so disposed to him as to be afraid to offend or displease him She must shew outward reverence also in her gesture behaviour and speech This is subjection to the husbands person Now to his Authority She owes 1. Cheerful obedience to all his lawful commands as the Church obeys Christ. 2. A quiet and fruitful receiving of his reprehensions as the Church also is patient toward Christ. Thus we have heard the wives duty The husbands duties are 1 Wisely to maintain his authority not so much by force as by vertuous behaviour avoiding especially bitternesse and unthriftinesse 2. He must wisely manage his authority The end of using his authority must be the good benefit and comfort of his wife and family for all government is by God ordained for the good of the whole not the pleasure of the Governour The husband must use his authority to edification and hearken to her when she speaks the Word of God as Abraham to Sarah Isa. 11. 6. 2. The things in which he is to use his authority he is to command what is to be done and forbid what is not to be done and reprehend where she offends 3. The manner of using his authority is with three vertues Wisdome Mildnesse Justice 1. Wisdome in commanding nothing but what is useful and weighty and grounded upon good and due reason 2. In his reproofs he must choose fit time when he and she are calm and fit place when none is present 2. Mildnesse or gentlenesse rather perswade then command if he chide her let it be with compassion and without bitternesse 3. Justice in willing allowing of maintenance to her according to his place and means in cherishing what is good and seeking to reform what is evil He must walk in all wisdome and knowledge 1 Pet. 3. 7. he should be an example of judgement gravity holinesse and wisely passe by many imperfections because they are fellow-heires of grace if there be not this wise carriage their prayers will be hindered contentions hinder such duties Thus much for private persons viz. Parents and Children Masters and Servants Husband and Wife Now follow the duties belonging to publick persons which are either in Church or Common-wealth In Church as Minister People In Common-wealth as Magistrate Subject Of Ministers and People The duty of the people 1. They ought to reverence their Ministers for the place in which God hath set them Isa. 52. 7. Rom. 20. 15. 2. They ought exceedingly to love them Gal. 4. 14 15. 1 Thess. 5. 12 13. 3. They must obey their Doctrine taught truly out of the word of God Heb 13. 17. 4. They must yeeld sufficient maintenance unto them 1 Cor. 9. 11. Rom. 15. 27. Gal. 6. 6. 1 Tim. 5. 17 18. The Anabaptists deny that Ministers may receive a stipend so doth Weigelius he cals them Stipendiarios praecones Vide Crocij Ante-Weigel part 2. cap. quaest 2. 5. They must defend them against the wrongs of bad men Rom. 16. 4. The duty of Ministers to their people Their duty is laid forth 1. By Titles as Watchmen Ezek. 3. 1. Labourers Matth. 9. 37. Light and Salt Matth. 5. 13 14. Shepherds
one another this company adds to their misery Of Purgatory Limbus Infantium Patrum Because the Papists divide hell into four regions 1. The hell of the damned the place of eternal torment 2. Purgatory where they say the souls of such are as were not sufficiently purged from their sins while they were upon earth and therefore for the thorow purging of them are there in torment equal for the time to that of the damned 3. Limbus Infantium where they place such Infants as die without Baptism whom they make to suffer the losse of heaven and heavenly happinesse and no pain or torment 4. Limbus Patrum where in like manner the Fathers before Christ as they hold were suffering no pain but only wanting the joyes of heaven and because I have not yet spoke of these I shall handle them here being willing to discusse most of the main controversies betwixt us and the Papists Of Purgatory Bellarmine saith there are three things to which the purging of sins is attributed and which may therefore be called Purgatories 1. Christ himself Heb. 1. 3. 2. The tribulations of this life Mal. 3. 3. Iohn 15. 2. 3. A certain place in which as in a prison souls are purged after this life which were not fully purged in this life that so they being cleansed may be able to enter heaven into which no unclean thing shall enter about this saith he is all the controversie Therefore whereas we distinguish the Church into militant here on earth and triumphant in heaven he adds and labouring in Purgatory We believe no other purgation for sinne but only by the bloud of Jesus Christ 1 Iohn 1. 7. through the sanctification of the holy Ghost Tit. 3. 5. The Papists charged Luther that he spake of Purgatory such a Purgatory there is said he meaning temptation Hoc Purgatorium non est fictum If there be a Purgatory it should be as well for the body as the soul because it hath been partaker of those pleasures and delights for which the souls pay dear in Purgatory fire but they deny any Purgatory for the body Epiphanius saith Thus shall the judgement of God be just while both participate either punishment for sinne or reward for vertue Origen excepted all the expressions of the Fathers this way appear clearly to have been understood not of a Purgatory but only of a Probatory fire whether they meant that of affliction or of the day of Judgement My L. Digby in his answ to Sir Ken. Digb We say with Augustine We believe according to the authority of God that the kingdom of heaven is in the first place appointed for Gods elect and that hell is the second place where all the reprobate shall suffer eternal punishment Tertium locum penitus ignoramus imò nec esse in Scripturis sanctis invenimus The third place we are utterly ignorant of and that it is not we finde in the holy Scriptures It is not yet agreed among the Papists either for the fire or the place or the time of it only thus farre they seem at length to concurre that souls do therein satisfie both for venial sins and for the guilt of punishment due unto mortal sins when the guilt of the sin it self is forgiven Dr. Chaloner on Matth. 13. 27. See Dr. Prid. Serm. 2. on Matth. 5. 25. pag. 58. to the end Mr. Cartwrights Rejoynd pag. 34◠c. Ezek. 18. 22. Micah 7. 18. 1 Iohn 1. 2. Rom. 8. 1. If our sins shall not be so much as mentioned surely they shall not be sentenced to be punished with fire Ier. 50. 20. From which Text we thus argue All their sins whom God pardoneth shall be found no more then to be purged no more especially after this life The learned Romanists generally accord That Purgatory fire differeth little from hell but in time that the one is eternal the other temporal they believe it to equalize or rather exceed any fiery torment on earth The Apostle calleth the Church the whole family in heaven and earth whence we reason thus All the family whereof Christ is head is either in heaven or upon earth Now Purgatory is neither in heaven nor upon the earth but in hell wherefore no part of the Family of Christ is there Papists will not grant that God imputeth to us the merits and sufferings of his Sonne although the Scripture is expresse for it and yet they teach that merits and satisfaction by the Pope may be applied to us and that they satisfie for our temporal punishments Purgatory is described by Gregory de Valentia and Bellarm. l. 2. de Purgat cap. 10 11. 14. to be a fire of hell adjoyning to the place of the damned wherein the souls of the faithful departing in the guilt of venial sins or for the more full satisfaction of mortal sins which have been remitted are tormented which torment is nothing differing from the punishment of the damned in respect of the extremity of pain but only in respect of continuance of time which may be ten or a hundred or three hundred years or longer except they be delivered by the prayers Sacrifices or alms of the living And the confession of this Purgatory saith Bellarmine lib. 1. de Purgat cap. 11. is a part of the Catholick Faith The principal places of Canonical Scripture which they urge for it are these In the Old Testament Psal. 66. 12. Isa. 9. 18. Micah 7. 8. Zech. 9. 11. Mal. 3. 2. In the New Matth. 5. 25 26. Luk. 16. 6. Acts 2. 24. 1 Cor. 3. 11 13. 1 Cor. 15. 29. 1 Pet. 3. 19. All which places have been taken off by learned Papists And also by Calvin in his Institut lib. 3. cap. 5. and Chemnit in his Examinat Concil Trident. and others If the Scriptures before urged had been so evident for Purgatory Father Cotton the Jesuite needed not to have enquired of the devil a plain place to prove Purgatory as some of the learned Protestant Divines in France affirm I shall conclude therefore with that saying of Bishop Iewel in his Defence of the Apology of the Church of England part 2. cap. 16. The phantasie of Purgatory sprang first from the Heathens and was received amongst them in that time of darknesse long before the coming of Christ as it may plainly appear by Plato and Virgil in whom ye shall finde described at large the whole Commonweal and all the orders and degrees of Purgatory Of Limbus Infantium Patrum Limbus signifies a border or edge and is not used in the Scripture nor any approved Author in their sense Limbus Infantium is a peaceable receptacle for all Infants dying before Baptism This is so groundlesse a conceit that the very rehearsal of it is a sufficient refutation Limbus Patrum is a place where the Papists say the souls of the godly that died before Christ were But Col. 1. 20. God could reconcile none to him in heaven
there is Divinity Rom. 1. 18 19. 20. 2. 14 15 * Omne bonum est sui diffusivum ergo maximè bonum est maximè sui diffusivum Ut se habet simile ad fimile ita se habet magis ad magis Locus topicus 2. What Divinity is Theology if thou look after the etymology of the word is a speech of God and he is commonly called a Theologer or Divine who knoweth or professeth the knowledge of Divine things Peter du Moulin Theology is so named from its end God as other arts are called humanity because man is the end of them The whole doctrine of Religion is called Theology that is a Speech or doctrine concerning God to signifie that without the true knowledge of God there can be no true Religion or right understanding of any thing Befield on the Creed Lactantius de ira Dei 2. What Divinity is Tit. 1. 1. 1 Tim. 6. 3. Col. 1. 5. 2 Tim. 2. 18. Theologia est doctrina de Deo ac rebus divinis Divinity is the knowledge of God Theologia est scientia vel sapientia rerum divinarum divinitus revelata ad Dei gloriam rationalium Creaturarum salutem Walaeus in loc Commun De genere Theologiae est quaestio quod idem ab omnibus non assiguatur Nam illis arridet Scientia aliis Sapientia aliis Prudentia Litem hanc dirimere nostri non est instituti etsi verè scientem verè sapientem verè prudentem eum judicamus qui verus sincerus est Theologus Wendelinus Christ. Theol. lib. 1. cap. 1. 3. How Divinity is to be taught 1. Discenda est Theologia imprimis textualis 2. Systematica seu dogmatica 3. Elenctica problematica Voetius Bibl. Theol. l. 1. c. 6. 4. How Divinity is to be learned Job 28. 1 2. Mat. 7. 7. John 20. 21. Deut. 29. 29. Rom. 12. 3. 6. 7. 2 Tim. 2. 23. Mat. 11. 25 Prov. 2. 2. 8. 4 5. 8. 17. 33. 5. The opposites of Divinity 6. The excellency of Divinity a Paul cals it The excellency of the knowledge of Christ Phil. 3. 8 Psal. 40. 8. Christ is the principal subject of the whole Bible being the end of the Law and the substance of the Gospel M. Perkins Quicquid est in suo genere singulare eximium id Divinum b Agreeable to which is the French Proverb Ministre ne doit scavior que sa Bible a Minister must know nothing but his Bible * Psal. 12. 6. Mahomet would have had others believe that he learned the doctrine of his Alcoran from the holy Ghost because he caused a Pigeon to come to his Ear. Origen saith of the devils there is no greater torment to them then to see men addicted to the Scriptures Num. hom 27. in hoc eorum omnis flamma est in hoc â—runtur incendio In Theologia principium duplex Estendi Cognoscendi sive quo quid est aut cognoscitur illud con tituit scibile objectum hoc gignit scientiam perficit subjectum illud est Deus hoc Dei ipsius verbum videlicet ut in Sacra Scriptura expressum consignatum est Hoornbeeckii Antisocinianismus l. 1. c 1. controv 1. Sect. 1. Of the Scripture c The Scripture is called The word of God Ephes. 6. 1 Pet. 1. 15. The counsel of God Act. 20. 27 The oracles of God Rom. 3. 2. The Law of God Psal. 1. 2. The minde of God Prov. 1. 23. d It is called Word because by it Gods will is manifested and made known even as a man maketh known his minde and will by his words It is also said to be The word of God in regard 1. of the Author which is God himself 2 Tim. 3. 16. 2. Of the Matter which is Gods Will Ephes. 1. 9. 3. Of the End which is Gods glory Ephes. 3. 10. 4. Of the Efficacy which is Gods Power Rom. 1. 6. e So it is called the Bible or Book by an excellency 't is the only Book as f August de civit Dei lib. 15. c. 23. Ita usus obtinuit ut sacra ista scripta quibus tanquam tabulis perscripta est ac consignata Dei voluntas nomine Scripturae per autonomosiam intelligantur Beza in Joh. 20. 9. The Scriptures exceed all other writings in divers respects 1. Because all these writings were inspired by the holy Ghost so were no other writings 2. They contain a platform of the wisdom that is in God himself 3. Because they were penned by the greatest wisest holiest men the Prophets Apostles Evangelists 4. They are more perfect pure and immutable then any mans writings Mat. 5. 24. 2 Tim. 3. 17. 1 Pet. 1. 23 Mr Bifield on Pet. * The principal Author of all Scriptures is God the Father in his Son by the holy Ghost Hos. 8. 12. 2 Pet. 1. * Acts 7. 50. 1 Câ—â— 11. 23. The Father hath revealed the Sonne confirmed and the holy Ghost sealed them up in the hearts of the faithfull Exod. 4. 12. Deut. 18. 1â— 2 Cor. 13. 3. John 1. 56. Heb. 1. 1. Ezâ— 12. 25 28. Rom. 1. 2. Isa. 58. 14. Evangelium dicitur sermo Christi 3. Col. 16. Utroque respectu Authoris materiae Davenantius * Rainoldus in Apologia Thesium de Sacra Script Eccles * Tria concurrunt ut hoc dogma recipiam Scripturam esse verbum Dei. Esse quosdam libros Canonicos Divinos atque hos ipsissimos esse quos in manibus habemus Primum est Ecclesiae traditio quaeid affirmat ipsos libros mihi in manum tradit secundum est ipsorum librorum divina materia tertium est interna Spiritus efficacia Episc. Daven de Iudic. controvers cap 6. What the Divine Authority of the Scripture is * Formale ob 〈…〉 generaliter absolutè consideratum est divinâ— revelatio in tota sua amplitudine accepta seu divina authoritas cujuslibet doctrinae à Deo revelatae sive ea scripta sit sive non scripta At formale objectum fidei illius qua creduntur ea quae in Scriptura credenda proponuntur est ipsius Scripturae divina canonica authoritas Baronius adversus Turneballum The description of the Scripture Rom. 1. 28. 2 Pet. 3. 15 16. 2 Pet. 1. 20 21. * 2 Tim. 3. 16. Rom. 15. 5. Scriptura est verbum Dei ejusdem voluntate à Prophetis Evangelistis Apostolis in literas redactum doctrinam de essentia voluntate Dei perfectè ac perspicuè exponens ut ex eo homines crudiantur ad vitam aeternam Gerh. de Script Sac. â—oâ— 1. Scriptura est expressio quaedam sapientiae Dei afflata è Sancto Spiritu piis hominibus deinde monumentis literisque consignata Pet. Martyr loc commun l. 6. Scriptura est instrumentum divinum quo Doctrina salutaris à Deo per Prophetas Evangelistas tanquam Dei actuarios in libris Canonicis veteris novi Testamenti est tradita Synop
secundarium f Rivet and Dr Preston De sensu horum verborum vide Cameronis myrothecium Collocationem Rainoldi cum Harto c. 8. p. 557. g An allusion saith Bedel to the Bases and pillars that hâ—ld up the veils or curtains in the Tabernacle That distinction of Authoritative in se but not quoad nos is absurd because the Authority the Scripture hath is for and because of us h Dr White of the Church The Spirit witnesseth the Scripture co-witnesseth and the Church sub-witnesseth i Ut olim Caligula occlusis omnibus horrâ—is publicam populo inediam famem ita illi obturatis omnibus foâ—tibus verbi Dei sitim populo miserabilem induxerant Illi hominibus famem ut ait Amos Propheta sitimque attulerunt non famem panis non siâ—im aquae sed audiendi verbi Dei Juel in Apol. Eccl. Ang Scio maximam partem Galiorum qui appeliantur Catholici ita abstinere à Bibliorum lectione uâ— multos viderim audivâ—rim qui Deo gratias agerent quod libros illos nunquam contigissent se id diligemer in posterum curaturos ne id faâ—â—rent etiam juramâ—nto adhibito protestarentur non alâ—a ratione permoti quà m Romana prohibitione periculi metu quod eis à suis concionatoribus confessoribus incutiebatur Rivet Apologet. pro vera pace Eccles. pag. 249. k Scripturae obscuriores sunt quam ut possint â— Laicis intelligi Bellarm. Rhemist Praefat. in Noâ— Test. Annot. in Act. 8. 31. in 1 Cor. 14 l Populus non solum non caperâ—t fructum ex Scripturis sed etiam caperet detrimentum acâ—â—peret enim facillimè occasionem errandi Bellarm. de verbo Dei l. 2. c. 15. m Si populus rudis audiret lingua sua vulgari legi ex Canticis Canticorum Osculetur me osculo oris sui Et Laeva ejus sub capite mâ—o dextera illius amplexabitur me Et illud Oseae Vade fac tibi silios fornicationum Nâ—â—non adulterium Davidis incestum Thamar mendacia Judith quâ—madmodum Joseph fratres suos inebriavit Sara Lea Rachel dederunt ancillas vâ—ris suis in concubinas multa alia â—orum quae in Scripturis magna cum laude commâ—morantur vel provocaretur ad hujusmodi imitanda vel comemneret sanctos Patriarchas ut olim Maniâ—haei vel putarent mendacia esse in Scripturis Bellarm. de verbo Dei lib. 2. cap. 15. Audivi ab hominâ— fide digno â—um in Angliâ— Ã Ministro Calvinista in templo legeretur lingua vulgari capitulum 25 Ecclesiastici ubi multa dicuntur de malitia mulierum surrexisse foeminam quandam atque dixisse Istudne est verbum Dei immo potius verbum Diaboli â—st Bellarm. ibid. Hujus historiae fides omnis penes sit bonum illum virum à quo Bellarminus eam accâ—pit Whitakerus The Scriptures were written to give knowledge to the simple and wisdom to the unlearned Psal. 19. 7. Prov. 1. 4. That is a special promise Isa. 35. 8. for this purpose Origen being but seventeen years old had a fervent desiâ—e to be marâ—yâ—ed for Christ and writes thus to his father Leonides who suffered in the fifth Persecution Cave tibâ— ne quid proptâ—r nos aliud quam Martyrii constanter faciendi propositum cogites His father brought him up from his youth most studiously in all good literature but especially in the reading and exercise of holy Scripture wherein he had such inward and mystical speculation that many times he would move questions to his father of the meaning of this or that place in the Scripture Insomuch that his father divers times would uncover his brest being asleep and kisse it giving thanks to God which had made him such a happy father of so happy a childe Foxâ—s Acts and Monum vol. 1. pag. 70. Davenant determinat 39. n Vorstius in his answer to Bellarmine joyns these two together the promiscuous reading of the Scripture and the turning of it in linguas vernaculas o Daven deter Quest. 39. in c. 3. Epist. ad Colos. v. 16. Ingratas esse Ecclesiae Romanae editiones vernaculas inde apparet quod in illis locis ubi Pontisicis maxime obtinent placita ut in Hispania non procurant Pontisicii homines tales editiones ab aliis procuratas ferro flammis prosequuntur Ames Bellarm. enerv c. 3. See Col. 4. 16. 1 Thesâ— 5. 27. 2 Joh. 13. 14. Scripturae scriptae sunt ut inde pâ—tamus illuminationem mentis quoad credenda directionem vitae quoad agenda p Quod omnes tangit ab omnibus tractari debâ—t q Whitaker contr 1. quaest 2. c. 14. makes mention of very ancient English Translations and Turretine of old French Translations Vide Estium ad 2 Tim. 3. 15. r The word of God was written by the Prophets and Apostles Linguis vernaculis viz. to the Hebrews in Hebrew to the Greeks in Greek s Vide Cajetanum in 1 Cor. 14. t Vernaculum teste Vâ—lla â—leg lib. 1. cap. 5. dicitur quod est domi nostrae vel in nostra patria natum ut lingua vernacula quae vulgo dicitur lingua materna dictum à verna qui est servus ex ancilla domi nostrae natus Ebrâ—is ergo lingua Ebraea fuit vernacula Graecis Graeca Latiâ—is Latinâ— Hoc tempore nulli sunt populi quibus vel Hebraea vel Graeca pura vel Latina lingua sunt vernacula Riveâ— Isag. ad Sac. Script u Prov. 8. 9. By a man of understanding â—â— meaneth every one that is â—odly as by the â—â—ol the wicked x Consectary 〈◊〉 omnes 〈◊〉 illud quod Scriptum est i Scrutamine â—â—ripturas â—riâ—â—â—â—â— y See Mr Torshâ—ls Womans Glory Cha. 11. about womens reading of the Scripture The Churches of Africk had this custom as Augustin sheweth first they read a Lesson out of the Prophets then out of the Epistles and Gospel with a Psalm between Act. 17. 11. Lectio Mosis Sabbathina perantiqua est Tempore Christi Apostolorum usitatam fuisse liquet Act. 15. 21 Buxtorf * A man may be converted by reading as Luther saies he was and Iohn Huss by reading of Wickliffs books There is a blessing that may be looked for by reading Rev. 1. 3. But this is very rare Mr Fenner on Rev. 3. 1. The Scripture doth expressely mention Baruch to have read the word in a Church-assembly without adjoyning any interpretation to it Ier. 36. 6 7. The very reading of the Word it self was an Ordinance in the Church of Israel though no exposition followed Deut. 31. 11 12. 13. Deut. 27. 14. to 26. Mr Cotton Singing of Psalms a Gospel-Ordinance Chap. 11. Christus Scripturas scrutari jubet vel potius Iudaeis hoc testimonii perhibet quod illas scrutentur Joh. 5. 39. Zepperus z Scripturam sacram à legendo Caraâ—ocâ—â—t â—ocâ—â—t Micâ—a quoâ— in ea legenda cognoscenda operae non parum ac temporis ponâ—ndum
sit Ideo praecipiunt ut â—omo annos aetatis suae dividat in tres ' partes quarum tertiam lectioâ—i tribuat sacrarum lâ—terarum Dâ—usius Ebraic quaest Karaim lectores Scripturae sacrae secta olim fuit quae nudo textui biblico addicta erat ac Traditiones omnes rejiciebat Buxtorf de Abbreviat Hebrâ—iâ— a Benè orasse est benè studuisse Luther He hath studied well who hath prayed well Mr Pemble of the Persian Monarchy In reading of the Scriptures men must read not here and there a Chapter except upon some good occasion but the Bible in order throughout and as oft as they can that so by little and little they may be acquainted with the Histories and the whole course of the Scriptures Rogers Treat 3. c. 12. h Verbum Scriptum est objectum fidei adaequatum primum fundamentum à quo capit initium ultimum illud in quod resolvitur Amesius de Circulo Pontificio Prima veritas est fidei objectum formale quo Deus ipse sive absolute sive in Christo est ejusdem objectum formale quod â—d ibid. * Divinas Scripturas saepius lege imò nunquam de manibus tuis sacra lectio deponatur Hieron ad Nepotian de vita Cleric c Bifields Directions for private reading the Scriptures See Practice of Piety p. 314. What meditation is See Mr Fenner on Hag. 1. 5. A young Disciple asking an old Rabbi Whether he might not have time to learn the Greek Tongue he said If he would doe it neither by night nor by day he might because by night and day he was to study the Law Ps. 1. 2. c Meditatio est actus religionis seu exercitium spirituale quo Deum res divinas intenta experimentali effectuosa cognitione recordamur nobisque applicamus Voetius 4 Consectary Some gave five marks for a Book Fox Quo juniores eo perspicaciores Salmeron 5 Consectary f Speculative and practical Atheists Speculative Atheism in the judgement consists in maintaining corrupt principles Practical in going on in wayes which deny Gods Attributes It argued a prophane spirit in Politian who said That there was more in one of Pindars Odes then all Davids Psalms g Iis qui maximè sibi Christianorum Catholicorum nomen venditant nihil tam solenne est tamque vulgatum quam Scripturas calumniari Chamier h Quam verè dixerit olim Polydorus Virgilius Doctores quosdam Pontificios sacras literas quo volunt retorquere instar sutorum qui sordidas pelles suis dentibus extendunt i Pasce oves meas hoc est regio more impera Thomas ex Aristotele Patribus Conciliis barbara Bibliorum versione magnum illud Systemâ— compilavit cui titulum Summae fecit Liber sententiarum Summa Thomae tanquam duo Testamenta in pulpita introducti sunt Amama k Cum Mose â—ugnant cum Prophetis cum Apostolis cum Christo ipso ac Deo Patre Spiritu sancto qui sacras literas oracula divina contemnunt Bellar. de verb. Dei l. 1. c. 2. l Dâ— Clerk m Dr Rainolds against Hart. n Dr Iones his Remonstrance See S â— Iohn Temple of the Irish Rebellion pag. 108. o Non dâ—bet Scriptura quacunque occasione detorqueri à genuino sensu Imò quodâ—mmodo foedius est â—itando detorquâ—re quia indicium est nos tum Scriptur is abuti ad arbitrium tanquam regulam Lesbiam pro nostro commodo â—uc illuc deâ—orquere Hoc verò quum semper verum est tum maximè in disputatione quantum enim illud â—rimeâ— est ut qui aliorum meâ—dâ—â—iâ— refutare profitetur ipse se ita gerat ut falsarius appellari possit Chamier de Canone lib. 8. c. â— How the Jews wrest and pervert places of Scripture See Dilheri Electa l. 1. c. 15. Dum Scripturas interpretari aggredâ—â—ntur Coribantum sâ—mnâ—â— imaginationes non hominum sanorum expositiones afferunt Buxtorf Syntag. Iudaic. c 1. Satan indeavours in this later age to enervate the Word two wayes 1. In labouring to weaken the Authority of the Old Testament 2 Tim. 3. 15. given by inspiration and profitable go together 2. Men deny all consequences out of Scripture will have nothing Scripture but what is there in so many words Matth. 2. ult Iames 3. 5. See Iohn 5. 39. There were no other Scriptures to search then but only those of the Old Testament for none of the New were written till after Christs Death and Resurrection See Mr Cooks Font uncovered for Inâ—ant Baptisme pag. 24 25. Hujus generis inter Papistas sunt brevia collo appensa Ave Maria cum Oratione Dominica in globulis aâ— certum numerum recitatâ— Ames lib. 4. de Conscientia cap. 23. Iudâ—i Evangelium dici volunt quaâ—i 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Aven Gilion id est mendacium seu inâ—quitâ—tem voluminis Gualtperius 1 Cor. 1. 22. 6 Consecâ—ary It is a gradation Luk. 16. 31. Tum antiqui Theologi Basilius Chrysostomus Augustinus tum recentiores celeberrimi nominis inter adversarios Thomas Aquinas Ferus Andradius aliique Scripturam Canonis nomine designaÌ„t aut designatam asserunt tanquam intellectus voluntatis regulam ad â—uncta seu credenda seu agenda perfectissimam Rainoldus Thesi 1. M â— Hobbes in his Leviathan part 3. chap. 33. saith Those Books only are Canonical which are established for such by Soveraign Authority Then in the times of Popery the Apocrypha were Canonical a Scripturae dicuâ—tur Canonicae quia quid nos credere quemadmodum vivere oporteat praescribunt ut huc fidem omnem vitamque nostram referamus quemadmodum lâ—pâ—cida aut architectus ad amussim perpendiculum opus suum exigit Whitakerus de Script controvers prima Quoestione prima cap. 2. Libri sacrae Scripturae Câ—nonici dicuntur quia fidei morumque regulam continent Whitakerus Scharpius de sacra Scriptura Proprii Canoniâ— dicti univocè due conditiones sunt inseparabiles quod veritâ—tem divinam contineat divinitus materia forma quod Authoritate Divina publicae Ecclesiae datus sanctiâ—icatus ut â—it Canon sive Regula ipsius atque hic verè Divinus Canon Jun. animadvers in Bellarm. Est mater Ecclesia ubera ejus duo Testamenta Divinarum Scripturarum Aug. Tract 3. in epist. Joh. b Ut veterum librorum â—ides de Hebraeis voluminibus examinanda est ita novorum veritas Graeci sermonis â—ormam desiderat August c From the fourth verse of the second Chapter of Daniel to the end of the seventh Chapter and from the eighth verse of the fourth Chapter of Ezrah unto the end of the seventh the Chaldee Dialect is used Omnes libri Canonici veteris Testamenti Ebraicè scripti fuerunt Daniele Ezra sunt quaedam partes Chaldaicae nempè quae ab iis ex publicis Annalibus fastis regni desumptae fuerant in quorum Monarchia tum vivebant ut observavit doctissimus Junius d Erpenius
praemittunt quod non est in Hebraeo Grotius Drusius Ammad l. 2. c 34. * Martinius c Grotius reckons the Lamentations among the Poetical Books Mr Caryl on Job 3. v. 2. pag. 334. Singula in â—o verba plena sunt sensibus Hier. Quis libri scriptor fuit incâ—râ—uÌ„ est nec nisi levissimis conjecturis nititur quicquid de ea dici potest Beza Vid. Grotium MenochiuÌ„ Walther in Officina Biblica Ludov. de Tena Isag ad totam Sac. Script The Apostle 1 Cor. 3. 19. proves it to be of Divine Authority * Chap. 1. 1. Ante legem datam floruisse satis iude videtur constare quod vir ob justiciam atque pietatem incomparabilem celeberrimus victâ—mas filiorum nomine totie obtulerit Cl. Selden de jure naturali Gentium l. 2. c. 7. Vide plura ibid. Est liber iste Iobi omnium Sacrorum librorum difficillimus ut qui non modo Theologum verum etiam Hebraeae Chaldaicaeque linguae Poetices Dialectices Rhetorices Astronomiae Physices denique bene peritum interpretem requirat Bez. in epist. ad exposit Merc. Vide Sims Parasc ad Chron. Cath c. 1. The Book of Iob is supposed to have been written before Moses time and the Jews in the Talmud say that Iob lived in the time of Iacob Aben Ezra and Iarchi on Iob 1. say he descended of the sons of Nachor Abrahams brother and generally by most he is held to be more ancient then Moses Mr Nettles Answ. to the Jewish part of Mr Seldens History of Tithes Sect. 2. Iobi liber antiquior est lege quemadmodum docetur copiose à doctis Sixto Senensi Mercero aliisque ut in eo non sit necesse insistere Rain de lib. Apoc. praelect 191. Liber Psalmorum complectitur quicquid utile est in omnibus Scripturis haec sacra poeâ—is est elegantissima Legis Prophetarumque Epitome sola brevitate numero à reliquis discrepans cum commune promtuarium earum omnium est quae nobis necessariâ— sunt Tremel Jun. Opus omni laude majus universae sapientiae divinae atque humanae exiguum quidem sed eo etiam nobilius atque admirabilius compendium ea sermonis elegantia numerorum harmoniae suavitate sententiarum eruditione gravitate ut nihil majus dici possit Erpenius orat de ling. Ebr. dignitate Quisquis Psalmos ita ordine digessit ut nunc habemus eos in unum volumen collectos sive Hezra fuit sive aliquis alius post reditum è Babylone conatus est Psalmos ejusdem authoris aut ejusdem argumenti aut ejusdem temporis colligere conjungere Foord in Psal. 40. According to the Hebrew account the Psalms have 2527 verses Beza Psalmos vario Latinorum carminum genere elegantissimè suavissimè expressos orbi Christiano dedit Melchior Adam in ejus vita Psalterium Buchanin Latinum opus planè divinum ad usum Scholasticae juventutis egregiè elaboratum Graserus exerciâ—â—in c. 9. Dan. a Mr Bolton on Prov. 18. 14. Sententiae verba five dicta graviter paucis concinnata quae in omnium animis haerere in ore versari debent denique speculum sunt totius vitae administrationis nostrae Junius What special prerogatives this Book hath above the rest of Canonical Books see Mr Cawdrey on Prov. 29. 8. b Quod in eum librum collectae sunt omnes scientiae vel quòd sapientia Salomonis hic homines congreget ad ipsam audiendam Martinius The Proverbs were Salomons Ethicks Ecclesiastes his Physicks Canticles his Metaphysicks Proverbia Scripta sunt potissimum pro aetate juvenili Ecclesiastes pro virili Canticum pro senili The Jews compare the three Books of Salomon to the three parts of his Temple they liken the Proverbs to the Porch Ecclesiastes to the Holy Place Canticles to the Holy of Holies Opinor Salomonem in senectute postquam à lapsu resipuisset scripsisse 1. Novem 1ª Capita libri Proverbiorum librum qui Ecclesiastes dicitur ut ex cellatione concipi potest 2. Librum Canticorum ut ex eo libro colligere licet 3. Psalmum istum quasi compendium libri Canticorum Foord in Psal. 45. Liber ille Salomonis disputationem continet de summo bono quod desinit esse conjunctionem cum Deo ac perpetuam Dei â—ruitionem Simps Chron. Cathol parte tertia c Id est summum praestantissimum vide Gen. 9. 25. Est autem haec generalis totius libri inscriptio libri argumentum scriptoremque exponens Argumentum est Epithalamium excellentissimum sive connubiale Canticum quo Schelomo decantavit sacram illam augustissimam beatissimam desponsationem conjunctionemque Christi cum Ecclesia Jun. d Learned men conclude from 2 King 13. 25. that Ionah prophesied first of all the sixteen Prophets Dr Hill in a Sermon on the Lord of hosts Isaiah prophesied 60 years saith Alsted 96 saith Cornelius a Lapide He prophesied with elegancy alacrity fidelity variety e Jeshagneia quasi dicas salus Domini vel Dei quòd prae caeteris plenus sit vivificarum consolationum Non tam Propheta dicendus â—it quam Evangelista Hieron praefat in Isa. Quicquid de Physicis Ethicis Logicis quicquid de sanctarum Scripturarum mysteriis potest humana lingua mortalium sensus accipere complexus est summa prae caeteris Prophetis venustate sermonis urbanae dictionis elegantia Hieron Isaias quem ex regia ortum familia novistis tanta eloquentia librum suum contexuit ut omnes Latinos Graecosve oratores longo post se intervallo relinquat Waser iâ— praef ad Grammaticam Syram Vide plura ib. Iâ— sermone suo discrtus est quippe vir nobilis urbanae eloquentiae nec habens quicquam in eloquio rusticitatis admixtum Unde accidit ut prae caeteris florem sermonis ejus translatio non potuerit conservare Ita universa Christi Ecclesiaeque Mysteria ad liquidum prosecutus est ut non putes eum de futuro vaticinari sed de praeteritis historiam texere Hieron praefat Inter cos vates qui de Messia scripsere perquam disertus est Isaias oratio ejus erudita ubique majestatis plena facilè ostendit qua esset natus origine Vir enim nobilissimus principum consanguinitate clarus artes omnes scientiasque didicerat quibus ingenia ad magnae fortunae cultum excitantur Liber autem ejus non tam vaticinia continere quam Evangelia videtur Res esse pridem gost as non futuras putes Canaeus de Repub. Heb l. 3. c. 7. Admirabiles omnes in scribendo Prophetae sunt parem meriti fidem sed eminet in Isaia sublime quiddam ingeniosum vehemens urbanum quod majore voluptate admirationéque lectorem teneat Maldonat in Joh. 1. Lodov. de Tena Iirmijah celsitudo vel excelsus Domini quod magnalia Dei animo magno atque forti docuerit Or Ramah Iah the reject
libri constanter legunt Hu Gen. 3. Septuaginta haben 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chaldaica Paraphrasis hanc lectionem confirmat Temque quidam codices vulgatae Editionis retinent ipse quidam ipsum Postremò pondus ipsum sententiae postulat ut hoc de semine mulieris non de mulicre intelligam Whitak h Ex voce Hebraeapotest emendari prava vulgi consuetudo qui duobus Cornubus pingunt Mosen rident igitur nos execrantur Iudaei quoties Mosen in templis cornuta facie depictum aspiciunt quasi nos eum diabolum quendam ut ipsi stultè interpretantur esse putemus Sixtus Seneâ—sis Biblioth Sanct. l. 5. Annot. 116. Vide Grotium in loc 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 LXX i Invictum in hoc loco prout in Hebraeo extat contra Iudaeos pro Dcitate Christi argumentum situm esse agnosâ—unt Pontificii Amama Antibarb Bibl. lib. 3. Proculdubio eâ—â—iro illo erga Christum Dei silium odio profecta est illa Ebraeiâ—textus detorsic potius quam interpretatio ringi enim videas Iuâ—aeos cum audiunt Messiam Dei esse filium Mayerus in Philologia Sacra Illustre est vaticinium de Christo faedissimè obsâ—uratum à Graeco Latina interprete à quibus neutra vox est expressa Chamierâ—s de Canone l. 13. c. 9. Supersubstantialem id est Ad substantiae nostrae Conservationem necessarium Eman. Sa. Omnes veteres latini Scriptores panem quotidianum legcrunt itaque ineautè quidam nostro tempore in vulgata Editione pro quotidiano Supersubstantialem posuerunt quod corporis Cibo quem à nobis peti probavimus minimè convenit Maldonatus Jansenius idem ferè habet Harm cap. 41. Their own Dictionaries and Doctors expouÌ„d the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 gratified or undeservedly accepted or whoÌ„ Gods singular favor had made acceptable a Non habet ex hoc loco prudens lectora Paulo conjugium esse Sacramentum non enim dicit Sacramentum sed mysterium hoc magnum est The Apostle saith he speaketh not of corporal marriage of a man and his wife but of the spiritural marriage of Christ and his Church b Erasinus dicit an fit sacramentum olim dubitatum erat à scholasticis Certè ex hoc loco non possit effici nam particula adversativa ego autem satis indicat hoc mysterium ad Christum ecclesiam pertinere non ad maritum uxorem Mark 6. 8. Vide Salmeronem Riberam in loc Praefat in nov Test. Dr Fulk against Martin Vide Whitakeri Controversiam primam quaest secundum cap. 10. 11. 12. de Scripturis Sixtinus Amama censuram vulgatae versionis in Pentateucho caepit telam pertexturus nisi morte fuisset praeventus Waltherus in officina Biblica Sixtinus Amama Haeretiâ—us versionis Sixtinae inimicissimus ut proinde meritò dici possit Anti-Sixtinus Tract Joan D â— Es ieres de Text. Heb. Disput. 2. Dub. 2 b God in Christ or God and Christ is the object of Christian religion without knowledge of Christ we cannot know God savingly Iohn 11. 37. In Iudah onely is God known No man cometh to the Father but by me The ultimate object of faiâ—h is God 1 Pet 1. 21. c 2 Tim. 3. 16. Rom. 15. 4. The word of God is profitable five ways 1. For confirmation of true Doctrine or teaching men the truth 2 Tim. 3. 16. the Apostle tells us of four ends of Scripture The first two are commonly referred to Doctrinals the last two to Practicals If any of these be wanting a Christian is not perfect so much as in the perfection of parts he is but half a Christian who is an Orthodox believer if he be not practical also and he is but half a Christian who is practical if he be not an Orthodox believer Mr Gillesp. miscel c. 12. 2 Reproof of error 1 Tit. 9. Rectum est index sui obliqui Quibus principiis veritas astruitur iisdem principiis falsicas destruitur Tertullian calls the Scripture Machaera contra haereses Aufer haebreticis quaecunque Ethniri sapiunt ut de scripturis solis quaestiones suas sistant Et stare non poterunt Teicul de resurrectione carnis In comitiis Vindelicorum cum Episcopus Albertuâ— aliquando legerâ—t Biblia referente Luthero in Sermon Convival interrogasset quidam è Consiliariis quid libri hic esset Nescio equidem respondet qualis sit liber sed omnia quae in eo lego nostrae religioni planè sunt contraria Dr Prid. orat octava de vocatione ministrorum 3. Correction of ill behavior 4. Instruction in a good behavior 5. Consolation in troubles Rom. 15. 4. Psal. 119. 29. Vide Zepperi Artem habendi audiendi conciones l. 1. c. 3 p. 34. 35. d Divinae autoritas Scripturâ— est Infallibilis veritas in verbis sensibus ob quam omnes fidem ei obâ—dientiam debent Altingius Exod. 32. 16. 2 Tim. 3. 16. 2 Pet. 1. 21. Heb. 11. Joh. 12. 14. 26. e Divina auctoritas suam trahit originem una ex parte ex immediato Spiritus S. afflatâ— ex alterâ ex sublimitate rerum quas exponit Waltherus in officina Biblica f Mat. 5. 18. Scriptura est 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Fide digna propter se crâ—denda quia 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 est Divinitus inspirara Hic illud Pythagoricum valet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 We must take heed of believing Scripture to be the word of God because there is the greatest reason for it but for its divine Authority Matth. 24. 35 g The material parts of Scripture are true Historical narrations all the Histories therâ— related are undoubtedly true that of the Creation fall of Christ. â— Threatnings the eternal torments in hell are sure as if thou wast already in them 3. Promises the Scripture calls them the sure mercies of David 4. Predictions and Prophesies in Daniel Revelation as the downfall of Antichrist they speak therefore of things to come in the present tense to note thereby the certainty of the accomplishment Isa. 9. 6. Apoc. 18. 2. Veritas est conformitas rei cum Archeâ—ypo that is a great excellency of the word of God to be the word of truth Ephes. 1. 1â— Iames 1. 18. Acts 26. 27. it is so called â— In opposition to the shadows and types in the Law 1 Iohn 17. 2. By way of exclusion of all falshood iâ— comes from the God of truth 3. It contains all needful and transcendent truths h Ego in huâ—usmodi quorumlibet â—ominum scriptiâ— liber sum quia solis â—anonicis scripturis debeo fine ulâ—a recusatione consensum August de natura gratia c. 6. The essential form of the word is truth informing the whole and every part all divine truth is there set down i Scripturae Sancta appellatur Canonica toâ—um ejus corpus Canon Rationem nominis aut omnes aut ferè omnes esse testantur quia â—it
19. and Psal. 19. beg seem to prove it Cardinal Perron having in an excellent Oration before Henry the 3 King of France proved that there was a God and his Auditory applauding him he offered if it pleased the King the next day to prove the contrary whence saith Voetius de Atheismo He was commanded to depart the Court Because saith Vedelius in his Rationale Theologicum l. 1. c. 3. He favoured that opinion of not admitting the principles of reason in arguments of faith Hence it was easie for him from that foundation to plead for Atheisin since it is impossible to prove that there is a God without the principles of Reason Principles can onely be demonstrated testimonis effectis absurdis shewing the absurdities that will else follow There are two kindes of Demonstrations or proofs 1. A demonstrating of the effects by their causes which is a proof à priori Principles cannot be demonstrated à causa and à priori because they have no superior cause 2. A demonstrating of causes by their effects which is a proof drawn à posteriori So principles may be demonstrated All principles being Prima and Notissimae of themselvâ—s are thereby made indemonstrable Vide Aquin. part 1. Quest. 2. Art 2. 3. Quod fit Deus c The weightiest Testimony that can be brought to prove there is a God is to produce the Testimony of God speaking in his word None other in the world can have equal authority Iohn 8. 13 14. Yet this Testimony is not allowed by the Atheists For as they deny that there is a God so they deny likewise that the Scripture is his word Atheomastix l. 1. c. 2. See Rom. 1. 20. Nulla gens tam effera ac barbara quae non cognoscat â—sse Deum Cicero de natura Deorum Epicurum ipsum quem nihil pudendum pudet tamen Deum negare pudet Mornaeus Numen esse aliquod sumitur à manifestissimo consensu omnium gentium apud quos ratio boni mores non planè extinctâ— sunt inducta feritate Grotius de rel Christ. l. 1. Inveniuntur qui sine regâ— sine lege vivunt qui sub dio degunt qui nudi ferarum instar sylvas oberrant avia quaerunt obvia depascuntur Qui religionis specie qui sacris qui numinis sensu planè carerent nulli inventi sunt nulli ctiammon inveniuntur Mornaeus de veritate Christianae relig c. 1. * The most pregnant and undeniable proof of the God-head with the Heathen was the voyce of conscience The Scripture sheweth that the wicked were much terrified in their consciences after the committing of hainous sins Rom. 2. 15. Isa. 57. 20 21. Mark 6. 14 16 So doth common experience teach in Murtherers Theeves and the like Richard the third after his murthers was full of horror and fear the night before he was slain he dreamed that the Devils were tormenting him Credo non erat somnium sed conscientia scelerum Polyd. Virgil. Wicked men may be without faith they cannot be without fear Isa. 33. 14. they are afraid after committing of sin though in secret because they know there is a Supreme Judge who can call them to account Psal. 53. 5 6. Quid resert veminâ—m scire si tu scias Vide Grot. de relig Christiana l. 1. * Acts 16. 25. and 12. 6. Psal. 3. 6. and 46. 1 2. Si fractus illabatur orbis impavidum ferient ruinae Horat. Every effect hath its cause whatsoever is wrought or done is wrought or done by some thing which hath ability and fitness to produce such an effect seeing nothing can do nothing and what hath not sufficiency to produce such and such effects cannot produce them Of whom there be works and effects he is of God there be works and effects therefore there is a God As God is to be felt sensibly in every mans conscicience so is he to be seen visibly in the Creation of the world and of all things therein contained Man the best of the Creatures here below was not able to raise up such a Roof as the Heavens nor such a floor as the earth Doctor Preston Iob 12. 9. Serviunt omnia omnibus uni omnia Mundi Creatio est Dei Scriptura cujus tria sunt folia Coelum terra mare The Sun Moon and Stars move regularly yea the Bee and Ant according to their own ends wonderfully The creatures which have no reason act rationally therefore some supreme reason orders them Finis in sagittâ— determinatur a Sagittante say the Schoolmen Vide Bellarm. de Gratia libero arbitrico l. 3. c. 15. Vos de â—â—ig Progres Idol l. 3. c. 31. The preserving and ordering of the world and humane societies in it the planting and defending of the Church A number of wheels in a Clock do work together to strike at set times not any one of them knowing the intention of the other therefore they are ordered and kept in order by the care of some wise person which knows the distance and frame of each and of the whole An Army of men could not meet together at one time and in one place to fight for or against one City if the wisdom of one General did not command over all A number of Letters cannot all fall orderly together to make perfect sense without some Composer Protogenes by the smalness of a line drawn in a Table knew Apelles the chiefest Artificer He that sees but the shape and effigies of man presently thinks of a Painter Nec terram propter se vel Sol calefacit vel nubes irrigat nec terra vel tepefacta à Sole vel madesacta à pluvia sui gratiâ herbas ac fructus producit sed propter muta animantia ac hominem imprimis qui mentis altae capax in â—oetera dominatur Non suo id confilio faciunt Alius igitur est qui dirigat universum Voss. de orig progres Idol l. 1. par 1. c. 1. Pulchra sunt omnia faciente te Et ecce tu inenarrabiliter Pulchrior qui fecisti omnia Aug. Confess l. 13. c. 20. Hic compoâ—o canticum in Creatoris nostri laâ—dem Sâ— Humani corporis admirabilem constructionem intus extráque conspicimus ut omnia ibi etiam minima suos usus habeant nullo studio nulla industria parentum arte verò tanta ut philosophorum ac medicorum praestantissimi nunquam eam satis possint admirari Ostendit hoc opificem naturâ— esse mentem excellentissimam Qua de re videri potest Galenus praesertim qua parte oculi manus usum examinat Grotius de relig Christ. l. 1. * Astrology is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the speech of stars Astronomy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the law of the stars The Sun is moved by another by whom he is tyed unto such a strict and unaltâ—rable morion that Astronomers can surely tell unto the very minute all the Eclipses that shall ever fall out so long as the world
thing the Lord hath condemned Exod. 20. 23. With me that is beside me God c. that is golden and silver Images or pictures of God Quod si quaeras cur illud facietis repetatur dicam voluisse Deum inculcare maximè ut sibi ab eo delicto caverent ad quod maximè proni erant Voss. in Maim de Idol c. 3. Pontificii totum secundum praeceptum de imaginibus non colendis omittunt in recitatione Decalogi ut patet tum ex officio B. Mariae autoritate Pii 5. reformato tum ex Catechismo Ledesmae quasi dâ— ea re nullum omnino praeceptum dedisset Deus Rivet Tract de Patrum Autoritate c. 5. Vide Pontificiorum crassa prodigiosa dogmata contra singula Decalogi praecepta Mort. Apol. Cath l. 2. c. 13 14 15. Idolatry is a Greek word compounded of an Idol which signifieth any similitude image likenesse form shape or representation exhibited either to the body or minde and Latry which signifieth service Ainsw Arrow against Idol c. 1. The first Commandment bindeth us to have Iehovah the living and true God for our God and none other and forbiddeth generally these four things 1. The having of strange gods and not the true as had the Heathens Act. 14. 11 12 15. 2. The having of strange gods with the true as had the Samaritans 2 King 17. 32. 3. The having of no God at all as foolish Atheists Psal. 14. 1. 4. The not having of the true God aright but in hypocrisie only Isa. 29. 13. Tit. 1. 16. The second Commandment bindeth to the true worship of the true God which is only as himself commandeth and by the means rites and services that he ordaineth John 4. 20. to 24. Deut. 12. 32. 4. 1 2 5 6. Ainsw ibid. See more there and Chap. 2. how fast the sinne of Idolatry cleaveth to all and Chap. 5. of the Idolatry of these times farre exceeding Ieroâ—oams and Chap. 6. a dehortation from this sinne Isa. 40. 18. 25. vers Gal. 4. 8. Idolatry saith Tertullian is principale crimen summus hujus saeculi reatus It is called abomination Deut. 27. 15. 1 Pet. 4. 3. Aquin. 2a 2ae Quaest. 94 Art 3. shews That Idolatry is gravissimum peccatum St Hierom affirmeth that when Jesus being a childe was carried into Egypt for fear of Herod all the Idols of Egypt fell down and all their miracles became mute which the Prophet Isaiah foresaw Chap. 19. 1. The general silence of the Devil in his Oracles throughout the world presently upon Christs incarnation is a thing known and confessed by all men He performed the part of a good Bishop that finding a vail spread in the entrance of a Church door wherein the Image of Christ or of some other Saint was pictured rent it in pieces with these words That it was against the authority of the sacred Scriptures to have any Image of Christ set up in the Church The Theatre of Gods judgements ch 25. Idols in Churches are a scandal to â—ews Turks Idolatry either makes that to be God which is not or God to be that which he is not Robins Ess. observ 11. Rabbi Moses Ben Nachman whom they call Ramban or Gerundensis saith Non est tibi Israel ultio in qua non sit uncia de iniquitate vituli There is no vengeance taken on thee Israel wherein there is not an ounce of the iniquity of the Calf God neither will nor can nor ought to be exprest by any Image He will not Exod. 20. 4. neither can he be represented by any Image Deut. 4. 15. Isa. 40. 12. Neither ought any Image to be made of him His Majesty and glory cannot be represented by any visible form Rom. 1. 22 23. Quin audeam dicere eos qui olim cum cultu Dei idololatriam miscebant ut disertè extat in posterioris Regum capite 17. 29 30 31 32. eos inquam hodie adeo ab omni Idololatria abhorrere ut in hac parte Iudaeos ipsos superare videantur Scaliger de Samaritis l. 7. De emendat Temp. Col. 2. 18. See Ainsw Arrow against Idol ch 5. p. 27 30 31. Deut. 4. * Col. 2. 18. Voluntary religion Superstitio à superstando non quasi Deus verus vero cultu nimium coli possit sed quia ad materiem cultus accedat quod eum corrumpat Voss. de Orig. Progres Idol l. 1. c. 3. Superstitio est cultus indebitus praeter verbum Dei Zanâ—h Superstitiosi vocantur non qui filios suos superstites optant omnes enim optamus sed aut ii qui superstitem memoriam desunctorum colant aut qui parentibus suis superstites colebant imagines corum domi tanquam Deos penates Lactant. Div. Instit. l. 4. de vera sapientia Vide plura ibid. See how great a sinne superstition is in Mr Cawdreys Preface to his Superstitio superstes and in the book it self The Pharisees in Christs dayes were great pretenders to holinesse but they corrupted the worship of God Corruption in worship provokes God 1. To depart from a people Ezek. 8. 3. 2. To destroy them 2 Chron. 7. 20. The divine worship of the Heathens and Papists in the Temples is of so near affinity that Ludovicus Vives confesseth there cannot any difference be shewen unlesse the Papists have changed the names and titles The Popish Purgatory agreeth with the Heathen Purgatory mentioned in Plato and Virgil. The papistical manner of consecrating Churches and Church-yards fully imitateth the Ceremonies of the Pagans when they consecrated their Temples and Temple-courts or yards described by Alexander ab Alexandro Their sprinkling of holy water is mentioned in the sixth Satyre of Iuvenal and Sozomen calleth it a Heathenish Ceremony The whole â—warm of Friers or Monks first began among the Heathen as at large appeareth by learned Hospinian * Papists give a stone or wooden crosse the right hand as they go or ride by some also put off their hats the Crosse is not medium cultus The Papists invocate this sign Per crueis signum fugiat hinc omne malignum per idem signum salvetur quodque benignum Bellarm. do imag c. 19. 20. calleth it Signum sacrum venerabile signum crucis adoramus Vide Aquin. part 3. Quaest. 25. Art 4. See Parker of the Crosse chap. 1. Sect. 10. and elswhere They account it among the most precious reliques and not only the whole but every piece thereof they adore it salute it pray unto it and trust therein for salvation crying O Crux ave spes unica hoc passionis tempore auge ptÌ„is justitiam reisque dona veniam Hail O Crosse our only hope in this time of passion increase thou to the godly righteousnesse and unto sinners give pardon Yea the very sign of this Idol made in the air upon the fore-head or over any other thing is sacred and venerable hath force to drive away Deviis and do many like feats Ainsw
far forth as children transgresse not any of Gods commandments in obeying their parents they ought to obey Rom. 1. 30. 2 Tim. 3. 2. Titus 1. 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Deut. 13. 13. Ever the blessing or curse of the parents hath a prophetique power joyned with it Flores Regij by King Iames Deut. 27. 16. The punishment which by the Law was appointed to disobedient and rebellious children was a publick shameful death Deut. 21. 18. to 22. Parentis effigiem filo corporis exprimere hoc omnibus cum aliis commune est virtutes patrum tam rarum natis est exprimere quam patribus virtutum suarum ac morum exempla suis relinquere posse Jos. Scalig. Epist. Christoph. Augustino Puteanis Postquam ex parentum consensu vel expresso vel tacito in sua potestate sunt constituti tum patria potestas propriè sic dicta cessat quamvis nunquam cessare possit debitum gratitudinis observantiae pietatis filialis Ames de consc lib. 5. c. 22. The four Cardinal duties of a parent are prayer admonition example correction a Gen. 22. 2. b Gen. 25. 28. Ibid. The childe set at liberty makes the mother ashamed Prov. 29. 15. See Dr. Gouges Domest duties on Ephes. 6. 4. Deut. 6. 7. See 2 Tim. 3. 15. and Master Baxters Saints Rest. part 3. See Dr. Gouge ibid. sect 46 47. Discant hic matres se debere per se suas proles nutrire lactare natura enim hoc illis onus imposuit Hinc Mammillas ubera veluti lagâ—nulas quasdam ad proles nutriendas aptas illis largita est Plin. l. 28. c. 9. scribit lac Maternum esse utilissimum naturae prolis convenientissimum Vide Aul. Gell. l. 12. noct Attic. c. 1. Scribit Lampridius Titum filium Vespasiani Imperatoris toto vitae tempore adversa valetudine laborasse eò quòd à nutrice infirma lactatus esset de Tiberio quoque Caesare fertur quòd fuerit magnus potator quia nutrix ipsius talis erat secundò ex eo quòd filius non lactetur à propria matre sit ut mater filium filius matrem minus amet Vnde naturalem parentum ac filiorum amorem majorem videmus in communi plebe quam in familiis nobilium quoniam ferè nobiles foeminae infantes suos per nutrices lactari curant à Lapide in Gen. 21. 7. Origo vocabuli servorum in Latina lingua inde creditur ducta quod hi qui jure belli possent occidi à victoribus cum servabantur servi fiebant à servando appellati quod etiam ipsum sine peccati merito non est Aug. de civit Dei l. 19. c. 15. Servitus conditionalis usualis See Ephes. 6. 5. Coloss. 4. 22. 1 Tim. 6. 2. Tit. 2. 15. Prov. 10. 26. See Dr. Willet on Exod. 21. Quest. 8. 9. Dr. Gouges Domestical duties on Ephes. 6. 5 6 7 8. Servants must obey their Masters but in the Lord and therefore the Apostle ever joyneth some clause of restraint Col. 3. 22. Ephes. 6. 6. 1 Cor. 7. 15. A servant is not sui juris must do his Masters work is a living instrument in the hand of another 1 Pet. 2. 18. Servus non est persona sed res saith the Civil Law one describes him thus A servant is a person that yeelds himself to the command of a master and submits to his authority to do his will Rom. 6. 16. So the Centurion describes a servant Matth. 8. 9. Psal. 101. 6 7. 1 Tim. 3 4. See Dr. Gouges Domest duties on Ephes. 6. 9. Naamans servants called him Father Deut. 15. 13 14. See Dr. Gouges Domest duties part 2. Without their union of hearts their uniting of bodies and states will be a death Ephes. 5. 25. Love is such a natural property of that relation that God to shew his affections to his Church when he would comfort her saith that he is her husband See a rare example of wively affection Speed in Edw. the first p. 542. 1 Cor. 7. Not beauty wit wealth kindnesse received these things may alter Matrimonial love that is such as beseemeth that neer knot and conjunction Where the bond is closest the love must be strongest His soul must rest it self in her as the onely woman under Heaven for him and hers upon him as the onely man under Heaven for her Prov. 5. 19 20. As if he had said If thou do not love thy wife thou wilt look after Harlots or at least art in danger so to do * Religio à religando Gen. 2. 18. It is not said a help onely for so are the living creatures and therefore called jumenta à juvando but a fit or meet help In the Original it is before him and with a note of similitude as before him that is answering to him Prov. 31. 1. The wives relation-grace is subjection in the Lord the Apostle twice or thrice cals for this subjection and obedience 1 Pet. 3. 5 6. 1. This is there made the great ornament 2. The Apostle shews there the benefit of this subjection The titles and names whereby an husband is set forth do imply a superiority and authority in him as Lord 1 Pet. 3. 6. Master Esth. 1. 17. Guide Prov. 2. 15. Head 1 Cor. 11. 3. 1 Pet. 3. 2. Sarah called Abraham Lord. Ephes. 5. 24. 1 Cor. 11. 7. 1 Cor. 14. 25. Men are commanded to receive them in the Lord to hold them in reputation to know them as over them in the Lord to esteem them very highly in love for their works sake to hold them worthy double honour and to obey them Phil. 2. 29. Ministers must be faithful in their Calling Faithfulnesse is a constant and diligent performing of all the parts of the duty of a Minister from the right grounds and for the right ends sincerely because God requireth and for his glory and the salvation of the people It was a wonderful thing in Paul 1 Cor. 4. 4. that he knew nothing by himself that is no notorious defect in regard of his Ministry He should have Thummim integrity of life as well as Urim light of learning It was said heretofore Stupor mundi Clerus Britannicus The wonder of the world is the Clergie of Britain 1 Tim. 4. 13. Ieroboam made the basest of the people to be Priests 1 Kin. 12. 31. 13. 33. and some would make the Priests to be the basest of the people Prov. 24. 2â— 1 Pet. 2. 17. See Tit. 3. 1. Rom. 13. 5. What one doth for conscience sake he should do willingly A great burden lies on the Magistrate Unicus tantum est subjectus in civitate Magistratus Luth. Psal. 82. 5 10. Zach. 7. 4. Acts 4. 19 20. Iulianus Imperator quamvis esset apostata habuit tamen sub se Christianos milites quibus cum dicebat Producite aciem pro defensione Ecclesiae obediebant ei cum autem diceret eis Producite arma in Christianos tunc
determine all controversies 2. It is true and certain verity is affirmed of the Scriptures primarily interternally and by reason of it self which is called the truth of the object which is an absolute and most perfect agreement of all things delivered in the Scripture with the first truth or divine will of which the Scripture is a symbole and lively image so that all things are delivered in it as the Holy Ghost hath dictated whence those honorable Titles are given to it the Scripture is called A sure word 2 Pet. 1. 19. Psal. 19. 7. The Scripture of truth Dan. 10. ult words of truth Eccles. 1â— 10 Yea truth it self Iohn 17. 17. having the God of truth for the Author Christ Jesus the truth for the witness the Spirit of truth for the Composer of it and it worketh truth in the hearts of those which hear it 2 Pet. 2. 2. The Apostle prefers the Scripture before the revelation made by Angels Gal. 1. 8. Christ commendâ— the certainty of it above all other sorts of revelation 1 Pet. 1. 19. above information from the dead Luke 16. 31. The word of God is not onely true but eminently true truth it self Primâ— veritas and pura veritas The Scripture hath a twofold truth 1. Of assection it containeth no error 2. Of promise there is no unfaithfulness in it The first truth refer to the matter which is signified properly called Truth oâ— Verity The second refers to the inâ—ention of the Speaker which is properly called veracity or fidelity the latter is implyed Psal. 19. Thy Testimonies are sure and so thâ— sure mercies of David the former is implyed in that the word is purer then gold seven times refined There are two signs of truth in the Scripture 1. The particularity of it it names particulars in geneolagies dolosus versatâ—r in generalibus 2. Impartiality toward friends and their adversaries the most holy men have their faults described they give due commendation to their adversaries The truth of Scripture is 1. More then any humane truth of sense or reason 2. Above all natural reason as the Doctrine of the Trinity the â—ncarnation of Christ Justification by faith in Christ. 3. A truth which evidenceth it self 4. The standard of all truth nothing is true in Doctrine or Worship which is not agreeable to this 3. The Scripture is the rule of faith and manners It is termed Canonical generally by the Fathers of the word Canon which signiâ—ieth a rule because it contains a worthy rule of Religion faith and godliness according whereunto the building of the house of God must be fitted These properties saith Suarez are required in a rule 1. That it be known and easie the Scripture is a light 2. That it be first in its kinde and â—o the measure of all the rest 3. It must be inflexible 4. Universal 1. It is a perfect rule of faith and obedience able to instruct us sufficiently in all points of faith or doctrinals which we are bound to believe and all good duties or practicals which we are bound to practise Whatsoever is needful to believe or to do to please God and save our souls is to be found here whatsoever is not here found is not needful to beleive and practise for felicity Christ proveth the resurrection of the dead being an Article of our faith against the Sadduces Mat. 22. 32. and the use of the Sabbath being a rule of life against the Pharisees by an inference made from the Scripture Mat. 12. 7. The heads of the Creed and Decalogue are plainly laid down in Scripture therefore there we have a perfect rule of faith and manners It is a rule 1. For Faith Ierome in his controversie with Helvidius saith Credimus quia legimus non credimus quia non legimus We believe because we read we do not believe because we do not read Christ often saith Have ye not read is it not written what is written in the Law Luke 10. 26. Faith and the word of God must run parallel This we first believe when we do believe saith Tertullian that we ought to believe nothing beyond Scripture When we say all matters of Doctrine and Faith are contained in the Scripture we understand as the Ancient Fathers did not that all things are literally and verbally contained in the Sripture but that all are either expressed therein or by necessary consequence may be drawn from thence All controversies about Religion are to be decided by the Scripture Deut. 12. 32. and 4. 2. Iosh. 1. 7. Franciscus de Salis a Popish Bishop saith The Gospel was honored so much that it was brought into the Councel and set in the midst of them and to determine matters of faith as if Christ had been there Erasmus in his Epistles tells us of a Dominican that when in the Schools any man refuted his conclusion by shewing it contrary to the words of Scripture he would cry out Ista est argumentatio Lutherana protestor me non responsurum This is a Lutheran way of arguing I protest I will not answer to it 2. It is a perfect rule for our lives and practice Psal. 19. 11. and Psal. 119. 9. In Scriptures there are delivered remedies against all vices and means are there laid down for the attaining of all vertues We must follow the Scriptures exactly and not swerve to the right hand or left a metaphor taken from a way or rule saith Chamier When Linacer a learned English man heard the beginning of the 5 of Matthew read Blessed are the poor in spirit c. he broke forth into these words Either these sayings are not Christs or we are not Christians 1. It is a perfect not a partial and insufficient rule as the Papists make it As God is a perfect God so his word is a perfect word if it be but a partial rule then it doth not perfectly direct and he that should perfectly do the will of God revealed in Scripture should not yet be perfect Secondly if the Scripture be a partial rule then men are bound to be wise above that which is written that is above the Law and Gospel Regula fidei debet esse adaequata fidei aut regula non erit Whitakerus 1. All addition and detraction are forbidden to be made by any man to the word Deut. 4. 2. and 12. 32. Deut. 5. 32. Gal. 1. 8. 2. The Scripture is said to be perfect to beget heavenly and saving wisdom Psal. 19. 8. 2 Tim. 3. 15 16 17. 3. Men in the matter of Faith and Religion are sent to the Scripture onely 2. The Scripture is an infallible rule Luke 1. 4. of which thou hast had a full assent Regula rectè definitur mensura infallibilis quae nullam vel additionem vel detractionem patitur 3. It is a just rule Lastly It is an universal and perpetual rule both in regard of time and person ever since the Scripture hath been it hath been the onely
in Christ understand nothing but an acknowledgement of the veracity of the sayings and the promises of Christ which ought to be given them not because Christ is true God with the Father but because God after his death raised him from the dead which he also foretold before and for this reason he was worthy to be believed in what he commanded or promised This is their Doctrine of justifying faith and justification as if Christ had come into the world and suffered such things for no other cause but that he might perswade us that an eternal reward is propounded to the obedient that being allured with the hope of reward we might obey him Bellarmine saith Justifying faith is not so much knowledge as assent and it is not a confidence of Gods mercy but an assent to all things which are contained in the Word of God Faith is more then a bare assent to the truth there is in it a fiducial acquiescence and a resting upon Jehovah as it is expressed in the Hebrew he rolled himself upon God as a man being weary of a burden casts himself and that upon something that sustains him Prov. 3. 5. Isa. 10. 20. 28. 16. 50. 10. The chief act of the soul in true faith wherein the essence of it mainly consists is a resting and relying upon Christ and him alone for the obtaining of favour and eternal life In respect of this property faith is oft called a believing in or on Christ and his name Iohn 3. 16 18 36. Iohn 6. 1. 5. 10. a trusting in Christ Ephes. 1. 12. a resting upon God 2 Chron. 14. 11. a resting upon his promise 2 Chron. 32. 8. a relying upon God 2 Chron. 16. 8. a cleaving and sticking close unto him Act. 11. 23. Mr Hilders on Psal. 51. 6. Lect. 83. There is in Faith First An act of acceptation one is willing to receive Christ on his own termes Secondly Of resignation it gives up the whole man unto Christ. The proper object of justifying faith saith Dr. Ames is not some axiome viz. God is favourable to me or my sins are pardoned but Ens incomplexum as they speak viz. Christ or the mercy of God in Christ and so the proper act of justifying faith is incumberâ— or acquiescere Christo. Not barely the promises but the person of Christ is the object of faith we are not to rest in the promises alone but to close with Christ in those promises Acts 6. 31. The Saints take comfort in Christ and prize his person above all his benefits First Because that is the greatest gift in which God shews most love Ioh. 4. 10. Secondly He is the person in whom all good things are deposited Cant. 4. 10. 1 Iohn 5. 10. Thirdly The great thing the soul fals in love with is the person of Christ Cant. 5. Phil. 1. 23. It is a great dispute among Divines What is the proper object of saving faith Some say the Evangelical promise which holds out Christ others Christ himself in a strict sense only Christ himself is the object of saving faith Iohn 7. 37. No proposition nor promise saves me only Christ. The common object of faith is every revealed truth but of justifying faith as it justifies that is in the act of Justification Reconciliation in Christ with a certain confidence There is Fides quae faith which saves the soul this closeth with every divine revelation promise threatning story sides qua as it saves me closeth onely with Christ. Faith which saves the soul hath for its object the whole word of God but as it saves the soul it closeth only with Christ. There is nothing in Scripture but it hath relation to Christ the types and old Sacrifices were shadows of him the moral Law is preparative for Christ yea there is something of him in every story and miracle Faith is an instinct after union with Christ Iohn 5. 12. He lives in me by faith Iohn 11. 26. Gal. 2. 20. This receives Christ Iohn 1. 11. it is the condition of the Covenant and so the qualification of them which shall have interest in Christ and his benefits Iohn 3. 16. Acts 8. 37. 16. 31. Faith carries the consent of the whole man a Chron. 30. 8. Quid est credere nisi consentire He that would receive Christ must 1. Know that Christ is designed by God and tendred as a Saviour to him in the Gospel 2. Must consider the reality and fulnesse of the promise and give consent to this prose this is the very act of faith 3. None can thus receive Christ but those whose hearts the Lord hath opened to close with Christ Iohn 6. 36 37. Acts 16. 1. Man sell by self-exalting and ariseth in a self-abasing which is by beleeving 2. Faith is the only way to dissolve the plots of the devil we fell by beleeving the devil rather then God and rise by renouncing him and by beleeving in the grace of God in Christ. What is the act the soul doth when it beleeves There are three acts of faith Notitia Assensus Fiducia Mr. Hildersam saith The effence and being of justifying faith consisteth in four acts of the soul whereof the former two are acts of the understanding the other two of the will First I must know Christ aright and that which the Gospel revealeth to us concerning him Secondly The assent of the minde to this 1 Tim. 1. 15. Heb. 11. 13. Thirdly The consent of the will Iohn 1. 12. Fourthly A resting and relying upon Christ and him alone for the favour of God and eternal life Knowledge comes three wayes 1. By sense 2. Reason as that the part is lesse then the whole 3. From testimony which is faith and relies wholly on witnesse faith is weak when it relates to humane testimony yet there is no such knowledge as that of faith when it relates to the testimony of God that is more sure then sense or reason God is so wise as he cannot be deceived himself and so good as he will not deceive others Knowledge and faith are ordinarily all one in Scripture and joyned together as things inseparable Isa. 53. 11. Iohn 10. 38. Iohn 6. 69. Iohn 17. 3. 1 Iohn 3. 2. 4. 5. 13 19. A beleever is set forth by the terms of an enlightened man and wise man Ephes. 1. 18 19. I know whom I have beleeved Bellarmine saith faith is better defined by ignorance then knowledge Fides melius per ignorantiam quam per notitiam desinitur It captivates reason unto the word of God that is carnall and rebellious reason but the true light of reason is increased and augmented by it This knowledge which faith works in the heart is distinct and certain 2. Assent they beleeved God and the Prophets that is they gave assent and credit to it because of the authority of God who is most true and cannot deceive not for humane motives This assent is 1.
Firm therefore called the riches of assurance of understanding and so opposite to doubting 2. Absolute and illimited beleeves precepts promises and threats Some expressions of Scripture seem to lay much upon assent as 1 Iohn 4. 2. 5. 1. 1 Cor. 12. 3. Matth. 16. 17. The truths of God at first suffering under so many prejudices the Gospel was a novel Doctrine contrary to the ordinary and received principles of reason persecuted in the world no friend to natural and carnal affections and therefore apt to be suspected Assent now is nothing so much as it was then 3. There is a consent to the goodnesse as well as an assent to the truth the one is the act of the understanding the other of the will The soul upon the information that Gods Spirit gives me of the excellency of Christ and his suitablenesse to me assents to the truth of it and consents to the goodnesse of it and makes choice of him for its portion Faith is the consent of the whole soul to receive and accept of Christ as God the Father hath offered him in the Gospel 4. A resting and relying upon Christ alone for grace and salvation Psal. 23. 1 2 6. Psal. 27. 1. Iob 19. 25 27. Rom. 8. 31. The soul leanes on Christ as a feeble man on a staff 2 Chron. 16. 7 8. Prov. 3. 5. Psal. 22. 8. What the Old Testament cals trusting the New cals beleeving This confidence of special mercy is the form and essence of faith without which faith is not faith nor justifies the sinner The Papists and Arminians cannot endure this that faith should be such a special confidence of the remission of sins They say it is a confidence that God may remit and a good hope that he will or it is a conditional confidence that God will remit if we shall be constant in piety to the end of our life The Doctrine of Faith is in three things 1. There is a necessity of relying on Christ alone 2. There is an allsufficiency of ability in him being God and man to be an high-Priest to make intercession for us 3. Of his willingnesse that we should have pardon grace comfort and salvation by him There are promises 1. Of free-grace that God will justifie the ungodly and pardon sin for his own names sake 2. Of grace that God will give Faith Repentance Love and a new heart 3. Unto grace that if we beleeve and repent we shall be saved These promises are all we have to build our faith on for our eternal salvation In all recumbency it is not enough to regard the strength of the act and rightnesse of the object carnal men will say I place my hope in Jesus Christ for salvation Micah 3. 11. but there are other circumstances to be observed First The method and order of this recumbency the resolution of an humbled sinner to cast himself upon Christ the main end and use of faith is to comfort those that are cast down Faith is exprest by taking hold of Christ or the Covenant Isa. 56. 4. by staying our selves upon or leaning upon God which supposeth a sense of misery Secondly The warrant and ground of it we must go to work considerately understand what we do 2 Tim. 1. 12. Psal. 119. 49. natural conscience may pretend fairly to trust in Christ but have no ground for it Ier. 7. 4. Thirdly The effects and fruits it cannot stand with a purpose to sin Ioh. 13. 10. Heb. 10. 23. We are said to be justified by faith to live by it to be saved by it to have it imputed unto us for righteousnesse all which is to be understood not principally immediately meritoriously in regard of any worth or dignity of it or efficaciously in regard of any power or efficacy in it self but mediately subserviently organically as it is a means to apprehend Christ his satisfaction and sufferings by the price and merit whereof we are justified and saved and stand as righteous in Gods sight and as it hath a special respect and relation thereunto There are divers degrees of faith Little faith Mat. 8. 26. Great faith Mat. 15. 28. Full assurance of faith Rom. 4. 21. First There is some unbelief in all the servants of God because there is not in any man in this world a perfection of faith faith is mixt with unbelief Secondly Many have a true faith yet a very weak faith Christ will not break the bruised reed Christ chides his Disciples for their weak faith and Peter Mat. 13. O you of little faith And how is it that you have not faith Luk. 4. See Iohn 4. and Matth. 9. Moses David Abraham Isaac were subject to great weaknesse of faith Reasons 1. Sense and reason do in many things contradict the conclusions of faith to beleeve in the mercy of God when we have so much sin 2. The knowledge of God in the best of Gods people which is the pillar and foundation of their faith is but imperfect 3. Satan above all things most opposeth the faith of Gods Saints because he knows that in this their very strength lies Ephes. 6. 14. 1 Tim. 6. 12. and they resist him by their faith 1 Pet. 5. 9. 1 Iohn 5. 4. In two things the weaknesse of faith most discovers it self First In thinking that we shall not finde the good things which God promiseth to give Secondly That we shall not be delivered from the evil things which he hath undertaken to deliver us from Faith in Gods threats must be confirmed as a principal means of beating back sinful temptations faith in Gods promises must be confirmed as a principal means of keeping us in comfort and obedience All holy exercises serve to strengthen faith especially two First Prayer with the Apostles to the Lord to increase our faith and to fill us with joy and peace through beleeving 2. Meditations specially directed to that end of the omnipotency of God his perfect truth and his accomplishment of his Word formerly to our selves and others There is a twofold state of faith a state of Adherence and a state of Assurance First A state of Adherence Affiance and Recumbence the act of the soul accepting Christ and giving it self to him Isa. 50. 10. Luk. 18. 13. There is a great peace in a faith of Adherence Heb. 4. 3. 1. In respect of the guilt of sinne it shewes the Lord Jesus as a Sacrifice for sinne 2. In reference to God I have heard saith such a one that the Lord is a God pardoning iniquity transgression and sinne there is tranquillity when one casts his sinne on Christ and ventures his soul on the free-grace of God Isa. 50. 10. Secondly Of Assurance 1 Iohn 4. 16. when one hath obtained the witnesse and sealing of the Spirit 1. One may have the faith of adherence roll his soul on Christ and be willing to accept him that hath not the faith of evidence as Heman Psal. 88. The fearing of God