and soberly shall find that there are as many Characters shining in the Scripture it self as may refresh and satisfie him and all those who have their all in God God bless his Word to you for Christ's sake SERMON XXVIII Psalm 130. Verse 5. And in his word do I hope A Person without skill will readily mistake the best contrivances whoso without skill should look slightly upon a man building an House and digging very deep to seek a sure foundation for it whereby a great part of his expenses and pains is hid under ground would they not be ready to go and count that great cost but when the foundation is well laid the superstructure will stand the better So may it be with many in reference to the purpose I am now upon needy bodies would fain have something presently to fill their mouth they are not for frist but little do they consider that the Doctrine of this Text lays the foundations that cannot be destroyed The foundation of all their other food that they get from the Scripture and because this foundation is not well laid other things relating to their cases in the superstructure proves slipâ—y I am now upon the great Task of the Psalmist here waiting for God I have shewed the necessity of Faith and Hope for that undertaking the fastning of Faith and Hope in waiting on its sure ground the Word of God And I have laid before you the necessity of being acquaint with the Scriptures that it is your duty to be determined by the Scripture and to judge of all things according to the verdict of the Word and in prosecution of that I am led upon this great Truth That the Scriptures are of Divine Authority they are the Word of God I laid by the pretence of the Romish Church to assert the Authority of the Scriptures whose principles lead men in the matters of Religion to a labyrinth of unextricable uncertainties Now it would remain that I should hint at some things to clear the Divinity and Divine Authority of the Scriptures and the Doctrine therein contained not to Atheists to Whom I spake a word in the close of the mornings Exercise but to sober minded folk who would fain have their Faith helped in that concern and as the last day I recommended your Bibles to you to be made more use of that ye might have the word dwelling richly in you So this day I would recommend to all to take another and a better look of their Bibles that they may see them and the Doctrine held out therein clearly and distinctly to be Divine One word I premit which would lead me to that I would speak to here and ye will find it Psal 119.152 You read it in your Translation Concerning thy testimonie I have known of old that thou hast founded them for ever but the Original reads it word for word thus From thy testimonies I have learned of old that thou hast founded them for ever wherein ye may take notice of these three 1. What he learned concerning the Scriptures that God had founded them for ever that is That they were and are an unalterable and everlasting foundation of Faith having a Divine Authority stamped upon them 2. When he learned this of old not only from experience but he learned it as the first principle he had drunken in That was would he say the A B C. of my Religion a Peter hath the word in that forecited place 2 Pet. 1.20 Know this first c. 3. Whence he learned this From thy testimonies I learned it saith he I needed not another evidence thy Testimonies when my eyes were open discovered to me their divine authority and infallible verity Hence ye may gather that which I closed with in the morning That if ye suppose the Historical verity of the Scriptures they will prove their Divinity to any who have the Spirit of God or to any who receive the Scriptures as a true History the Scriptures themselves will prove themselves to be Divine Writings So here ye have 1. The Historical verity of the Scriptures supposed 2. Their Divine Authority proposed and 3. The necessity of the Spirit to discern that 1. I suppose that men receive the Scriptures as a true History that is that men will give that credit to the Word that they give to any common History handed down to their days to wit that there was such a Nation as Israel that there was such a man as Moses that gave them Laws that was instrumental in working miracles in bringing them out of Egypt and in the Wilderness that there was such an one as Jesus Christ that preached in Palestine was crucified at Jerusalem that he had twelve Apostles that followed him c. This is to be supposed in this inquiry concerning the Authority of the Scriptures neither is it irrational to suppose it Though there be no vestige of that antient City of Troy now yet who doubts but such a City was And that Homer wrote not a meer Romance whatever Poetical enlargements he has when he wrote of it Who doubts of Alexander the Great though his Empire be now gone and that Q Curtius wrote of him Who doubts of the Roman Wars and that Titus Livius wrote of them when men get these Books in their hands they look not on them as fables and if so how rationally do we plead that the like Credit be given to the Scriptures that they may have the like acceptance if any account this irrational he must grant that he will not believe any thing done before his own time nay that he will not believe any thing done in his own time if he see it not done with his eyes and thus a man questioning the Historical verity of things should nonpluss himself with absurdities and declare that he were fitter for a Bedlam than to be Disputed with But 2. This being supposed there is their Divine Authority proposed to be spoken to the Scripture it self will prove it self a true Divine word they often do solemnly declare they are of God that God spoke them to Moses the Prophets and assert that what they spoke are the truths of God and that they do not cheat in this assertion whoso will go through the Characters of the words Divinity they will be convinced of it But a man falling on that subject must say as Psal 106.2 Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord Who can shew forth all his praise I might here speak of the form and stile of Scripture of the scope and end of it leading to God and Everlasting happiness but I shall limit my self to the antiquity of the Scripture the instruments employed in transmitting it to us the matter of the Scripture the efficacy and success of them and the adjuncts of the Scripture 1. For the antiquity of the Scripture that is most true which is most antient and so is the Scripture for however error may plead antiquity yet truth had
the Scriptures without the Testimony of the Church as well as they But I shall add 3dly If any should ask who gave them that warrand to determine concerning the Authority of the Scriptures If they should say to a Pagan that is the Word of God I say it and I have authority to declare it If the Pagan should say where is your evidence that ye have that authority if they cannot adduce any may not he justly alledge that they bear Witness of themselves All the evidence they afford to any is that the Church of Rome is infallible and when they are put to that they adduce these passages Mat. 16.18 Thou art Peter c. Luke 22.32 Joh. 21.15 well say I have these Testimonies Divine Authority to perswade men concerning the infallibility of the Church of Rome and must men believe that antecedently to their receiving their testimony concerning the Scriptures If so then not only themselves who testify but others who are to receive their testimony must be perswaded of the Divine Authority of the Scriptures antecedently to that testimony In a word when they would prove their Authority they run to the Scriptures and in proving the Authority of the Scriptures they recurr to their own testimony and so run in a circle I might add a 4th thing to discuss their Authority from their own principles for the clearing of which I shall hint at three words I hope they will grant that they who testify concerning the Divine Authority of the Scriptures must be Christians not Pagans Church-Officers not Laicks Now by their principles how can they satisfie the Christian world that their Pope is not an un-baptized Pagan or a meer privat person I shall not found my doubt upon Pope Leo the Tenth his Creed that said The Fable concerning Christ had been a gainful Fable but upon their making the real administration of the Sacraments to depend upon the real intention of the Priest that administrats them And so I reason it is impossible morally to know that the present Pope is a baptized Christian or a Church officer in regard we cannot know what were the intentions of him that baptized or ordained â—im and what a blind is it to cause the authority of the Scriptures depend upon such an uncertainty 2. Consider again their sin of Simony we find their Histories full especially in these dark times some while bâ—fore the Reformation of their Symoniacal Popes who by budds and bribes and one by faigning a Voice from Heaven to out his Predecessor did advance themselves into the Chaiâ— Now by their own Cannon Law Symony makes void the Election and nullifies all the Acts following thereon Now suppose a Pope get into the Châ—ir by Symoâ—y and â—â—eats Cardinals who elect his successor their Act his Election are null and it is impossible they can be capable of any Ecclesiastical Act particularly for testifying concerning the authority of the Scriptures 3. I would know how the Christian world should know the Popes declaring concerning the authority of the Scriptures since very few have access to him except we take the Testimony of humane Writings or some wandring Priest with his Papal Bulls and Lead affixt to them Shall we give credit to these Bulls carried by his Priests because they have the ordinar Characters of Papal Bulls and shall â—e not for all the Divine Characters that are found in the Scriptures creâ—â—t them to be the Word of God From all which ye would learn to look upon the Romish Religion as a Religion wherein ye have no ground of certainâ—y to go on and so that there is no Faith in the Romish Religion but that which is ultimatly a humane Faith for if they give us Scripture how know 〈◊〉 that it is Scripture They tell us their Church says so 〈◊〉 know we the certainty of the Churches Testimony 〈◊〉 Pope says so and for that we have but the testimony of his humane Writings and of his Priests Bulls and suppose we should go to Rome we should not get easie access to him and though we should get access to him we know not what he is whether a baptized Christian or an unbaptized Pagan and the Priest that baptized him had not the due intention so that ultimatly all the Faith in the Romish Religion result into an humane report but if the Lord will I shall in the afternoon let you see other evidences of the Divine Authority of the Scriptures that we shall not need to go to Rome for their Testimony Take the Bible seek that Spirit that dictated the Bible look on the Scripture as a true History look oâ— it with that credit ye look on Titus Livius Quintus Curtius Buchannan or any other humane writing and they will prove their own Divinity This I say if the Lord will I shall follow forth more distinctly in the afternoon and therefore I leave it and speak a word to profane Cavillers at the Scriptures authority There is a word Christ hath in assorting the Divine Authority of Hâ— Doctrine which ye would notice Job 7.10 My doctrine is not mine but his that sent me if any man will do his will be shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God or whether I speak of my self The meaning whereof is not that folks must first obey ere they know the Divinity of his Doctrine nor is it that the Word needs the charity of well disposed persons but this is it that he must be in a good frame that would take up the Divine Authority of the Word I mark it for this end because there are so many Atheists Anti-scripturists mockers of Scripture denyers of the Being of Spirits immortality of the Soul and of Rewards and Punishments after this Life and it is to little or no purpose to discourse to them of the Divine Authority of the Scriptures It is with them as with that man who said non persuadebis etiamsi persuaseris although thou convince me thou shalt not perswade me they have done with their part of happiness if the Scriptures be of Divine Authority and therefore they will not be perswaded that it is so for these I shall leave them to these two words one is Psal 9.16 The Lord is known by the judgment which he executeth They that will not see God in his Bible shall see and find him in the execution of his Judgments upon them The other word is Zech. 1. when verse 4. he has spoken of their Fathers who when they were bidden turn would not hear nor hearken he says verse 6. But my words and my statutes did they not take hold of your fathers and they returned and said as the Lord of Hosts thought to do unto us according to our ways and according to our doings so hath he dealt with us I leave these malitious and desperat men who are hardned in their impiety to have the Scripture verified on them but a man that does the will of God that walks humbly
read the Scriptures that contains the sum of their Doctrine 3. The Scriptures are not only written to all but are recommended to all therefore they concern all and are to be read by all Rom. 15.4 Whatsoever things were written afore-time were written for our learning that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope The Epistles of Paul were directed to all the Saints John's 2d Epistle was written to an elect lady his 3d. Epistle to Gaius In his first he writes to fathers young men and children and how irrational is it to assert that that which is directed to all should be keep'd up from any concerned 4. The use that all have for the Scriptures do prove that they should be read by all they are the Rule by which we are to walk and therefore the man that would walk right must know the Rule They are the Charter of our Inheritance and that we be not cheated we would know it They are our elder Brothers Testament and therefore we ought to read it that we may know our Legacy All the Epithets given to the Scripture in relation to our need tell it is the will of God we should be conversant with them And Lastly There are many duties required of Christians that they cannot perform unless they be conversant with the Scriptures they are bidden try the spirits whither they be of God 1 Joh. 4.1 And how shall they try them but by the Touchstone of the Scriptures They are bidden prove all things 1 Thes 5.21 And how shal they do that unless they make use of the standard of the Scripture they are bidden add to their faith vertue and to their vertue knowledge 2 Pet. 1.5 And how shal they increase in knowledge if the Scriptures be not conversed with nay more How shall ignorance be proven to be a sin if the Scripture the only Illuminator of the Understanding be not to be conversed with But I shall forbear further debating with Papists the imitators in this of other Hereticks whom Tertullian calls Lucifugae scripturarum who while they prohibit the promiscuous reading of Scripture proclaim how little kindness they expect of the Scripture It is with them as it is with a Tyrrant and his Subjects he dares not trust them with armslest they should rise against him so they will not let people read the Scriptures lest thereby they should soon discover their abominations and cheats therefore it is that they keep them in a mass of ignorance and please them with that That Ignorance is the Mother of Devotion But 2. To press this Duty upon you for I would not so much have us Disputants for this Truth as Practisers of this Duty I would not have men having Bibles in their Houses and yet as little acquaint with them as if they had none if this be a duty it would be followed forth in practice I shall not enter upon the way of reading Scripture here but in bearing home the practice of the duty I shall say this 1. Ye that have Children train them up at Schools a thing wherein the heat of persecution made the ancient Church very deficient they had no Schools to put their Children to But how made they up that loss by procuring Copies of the Scriptures they got in some to read to them whom they lodged with them or going far to hear them read by such as could read them And I might here instance Pambo who came to a Friend that he might read a Psalm to him and he beginning the 39 Psalm I said I will take heed to my way that I sin not with my tongue hold there said he till I learn that well and when he came again being asked why he tarried so long away O said he I think that one lesson of the Government of the Tongue shall suffice me all my life But this I leave as a digression But if these who wanted Schools were put to such pains and charges to supply that defect what a great defect is it in you that have Schools and yet there are so many of you in the place and Countrey about that can read none at all Is not this a great neglect of a special mean of Salvation and to find it in such a place where Religion has had countenance and where Learning might be had with ease that so many persons should be found not able to read the Scriptures O what a lamentable defect is it and I wish it may not be continued in in this generation And I shall add to this of putting your Children to read ye would beware of indulgence to them while they are learning This sinful indulgence of Children is an ill symptom for the generation to follow and more it is a sad presage that these your sinful indulged Children shall prove your greatest plague experience hath proven it and ye would look to it if the Children ye have indulged do skaith to Church or State readily ye may get the first draught of the Cup they will be your greatest cross But 2. I would recommend to you that ye that can read would make use of that gift that is a thing ye may do with little interruption to your lawful affairs and a thing ye have liberty to go about without hazard ye are not like Incodemites as many are called in other parts of the world wherein Inquisitions are so terrible to people that if they have a Bible or any portion of it they must hide it for fear of the Inquisition ye are not in that hazard and if ye refuse to make use of the Scripture when it is dadded on you and have liberty to be conversant with it it shall be righteousness with God to take that liberty from you and give you up to Inquisitions as a punishment for that dreadful neglect I see Bibles among you and bless God for it but it is not enough to have them go through them and seek to be acquaint with the mind of God held out to you in them But to press this duty a little more distinctly I would briefly point at four or five things which I would have you to consider 1. I would have the excellency of the Scripture considered ye know men of Spirits if they hear of an excellent Book written by a very learned person O how would they long for it be at pains to have it and read it how greedily will some seek after and peruse Histories and Romances who are little in reading the Scripture but I shall come nearer you If there came News to Scotland that there were a Book written by God in Spain or some other remote Countrey how would it be longed for how would ye be earnest to seek and peruse it and if so what a sin and a shame is it when that Book inspired by the Spirit of God written by infallible Instruments is among your hands and yet how many are there that neither in their Families nor in secret have
note I took up here was That waiting on God will not be gotten cherisht without faith and hope I wait for the Lord my soul doth wait because I hope The Tryals of the people of God for greatness sharpness and continuance may be so ordered as an out-gate from them can only be discerned by faith and looked after by hope yet when it is so that things are most dark faith chearfully imployed will apprehend a promised delivery in the greatest difficulties Faith will see an issue worth the waiting for I wait and I hope says he The second general Observation that I proposed from these Words was that the faith and hope that sends a believer and carries him through in waiting for God that enables him to endure hard lots without succumbing must take the Word for its ground I wait because I hope and I hope because I have the Word of God for the ground of my hope Ye know that I proceeded to speak to four Heads in the prosecuting of this Note That really needy souls who are put to live by Faith ought and will be much conversant with the Word of God to know what is for them and their through-bearing there 2. That as they will be conversant with the Word so they will judge of things according to the verdict of the Word that it may ground their Faith and beget Hope 3. That to fix the Saints in this resolution and to the end they may lean weight on the Word they would be fixt in this Principle that the Word of God is of Divine Authority and infallibly certain In his Word do I hope 4. That the waiter having fixt this Principle that the Word is of Divine Authority he must send out his Faith to believe and his Hope to look for all he finds in so divine and sure a Word that he may be sure under foot as the Word of God makes him It 's his duty to put forth Faith and Hope to fend For the first of these that needy Saints who are put to live by Faith and Hope ought to be and will be much conversant with the Word I spoke to it the last day I both proved it that it was lawful and incumbent on all to read and be acquaint with the Scriptures against the tyranny of the man of sin that will have no Laickâ— â—s they call them to read the Scripture without his licence and I insisted to press the duty on you by several arguments which I shall nor resume Only I shall desire that it may be a Preaching daily practised as ye would prove your selves to be among these blessed folk who have their delight in the Law of God and meditate therein day and night who have the Word dwelling richly in you that ye may be acquaint with the Charter of your inheritance with your Card and your Compass your elder Brothers Testament the Magazine and Store-house of your Furniture and Touch-stone whereby ye try all things Let me I say exhort you that that Preaching may be conspicuously seen in your practice daily A 2d thing in the point is that as really needy Saints will be conversant with the Word so they must learn to judge of things according to the rule of the Word they must learn to be determined by what the Word says to have the Scriptures ending all controversies and debates to have the Scriptures grounding their Faith and Hope in all things The Psalmist doth so here he contents not himself to take a look of the word but he is so acquaint with and so improves it as he lives by Faith and Hope in it This Point will lead me to the 3d and therefore I shall pass it briefly by recommending to all that would be acquaint with the Scripture and judge things according to it that they would avoid two extreams one is the practice of wicked men who will not be determined by the Word but live and feed upon their own presumptuous dreams Let the Word of God say what it will against the generality of men and the way wherein they walk they will not take the Word for Gods final answer but still look out for some other thing from God I can compare the generality of Church-members to none better than these Luk. 20. where Christ tells of the ill usage of the Servants sent to seek the fruit of the Vineyard and of their killing of the Heir and said he will come and destroy these Husband-men they perceiving that he meant by them as the other Evangelist hath it v. 16. say God forbid They would not take that for Gods final answer and so it is with the generality of men speak of the Scriptures in general to them they will acknowledge them but shew unto them how the Scripture condemns their way and what judgments it hath denounced against sins that they are living in they will not take that for Gods final answer they will still look out for some other thing from God I shall not stand on this though it be the general disease of the visible Church but in opposition to that extream of wicked men I shall desire you to mark that word Joh. 12.48 He that rejecteth me and receiveth not my words hath one that judgeth him the word that I have spoken the same shall judge him at the last day Thou wilt not take that word for Gods final sentence yet it is that which shall judge thee in the last day and all self-deceiving and self deluding souls shall find God is and will be no other thing than what he hath declared himself in his Word to be If this were believed and laid to heart folk would more labour to live so as they may have the Word more their friend But on the other hand as men in making use of the Word would guard against the presumptuous dreams of wicked men so they would guard against the faithless fears of the godly who see enough in the Word to make them and needy sinners happy but their fears and want of probabilities lays them by from improving what they find in the Word for their comfort and encouragement in duty and lean as little weight on the Word upon the one hand as wicked men do on the other I shall not resume what I said at another occasion what use ye should make of reason in the matters of Religion Sure ye should make use of it for taking up things revealed in Scripture in gathering what is exprest therein or may be drawn from it by native consequence But ye would remember that Reason must stoop to Divine Revelation your Reason must stoop and strike Sail to what God hath revealed in his Word though ye have no probability of the thing yea though ye have probability of the contrary remembring that Numb 23.19 God is not as man that he should lie nor as the son of man that he should repent Hath he said and shall he not do it Hath he spoken and shall he
but as the Scripture is most distinct and clear in its Predictions and in the circumstances of things foretold So there is an exact answerableness in the event as in that of Genes 49.10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah nor a Law-giver from betwixt his feet until Shiloh come How exactly was it accomplisht at the birth of Christ and these Predictions and their exact accomplishments do evince that these Prophesies could come from none but the supream God who is Omniscient and has a Dominion over the Universe and who because He purposed these things foretold brought them to pass But 4. Take a look of the success and efficacy of Scriptures and Scripture Doctrine and that will tell it is of God I know not well where to begin or close in laying open this Consideration only I shall deduce it shortly in these four steps 1. The Doctrine of the Scriptures proves it self to be of God by its prevalency in the World among men and its prevalency when it had nothing extrinsick to back it it hath come in on men when they read it and hath been the ministration of death and terror when all things were going well with them and hath raised them out of the pit of despair when all things spoke sadness to them It hath had a singular power in it to terrifie and humble the mind of men and then to give them peace and comfort that they have been perswaded notwithstanding long fix in contrary perswasions to relinquish their former way with great joy and to imbrace the greatest misery in the world as their greatest happiness and that it should make such a conquest on men and bring in such fresh sweetness in the greatest bitterness it proves it to be Divine To this secondly add the universality of this conquest in so short a time Paul carried the Doctrine of the Gospel from Jerusalem round about to Illyricum Rom. 15.19 and within 200 years or thereby after Christ it came the length of Scotland and with whom did it prevail not with a few of the meaner but with many Learned Philosophers such as Dionysius the Areopagite Justin Martyr many who used curious Arts who brought their books together and burned them before all men Acts 19 â—9 with great men Kings and Princes Constantine the Great and his successors not with moderat persons only but with enemies with Judges that sat upon Benches and condemned the Saints it made them come down from the Benches and go with the Christians to the Stakes was not that a proof that the Doctrine was of God And I shall thirdly add that the Scripture and the Doctrine thereof was thus successful when it had nothing extrinâ—ck to commend it but was every where opposed Pagan Religion flourishes but where it hath the Authority of Princes to back it The Mahumetan Religion also prevailed at first because it promises liberty from subjection to Superiors The satisfaction of mens lusts and pleasures while they live and a Paradise of pleasures when they are dead but after its first prevailing it hath not spread but where the sword made way for it but Christianity a Sect every where spoken against Act. 8.22 yet prevailing doth evidence it is of God Consider again the men that carried this Doctrine poor men insignificant persons that were more ready to beget contempt of it than reception of it men that set not themselves to seek mens interests but pressed them to deny all ungodliness and fleshly lusts They held out no worldly encouragement to men to imbrace their Doctrine but on the contrary told them that upon the reception of their Doctrine they behoved to undergo the hardest of lots and evil usage in the world whereof themselves were visible samplaâ—s and yet Christianity prevailed and the Doctrine of the Gospel had success which proves it to be of God 4. This Religion and Doctrine had such an impression that whosoever embraced it there was no parting of them and it men might take their estates and lives from them but could not part them and the Doctrine of the Gospel and these were not fools but men that in other things evidenced themselves to be intelligent sober understanding persons but when it came to the matter of their Religion no torments devised by men could move them to relinquish it but they did run to the Stakes and offered themselves willingly to the Fires to the beheading Sword and other cruel deaths and how could they have done this if not supported by the efficacy of the Doctrine they had embraced which proves it to be of God In the 5. and last place consider the Adjuncts of this Doctrine of the Scriptures the great miracles whereby it was confirmed wonders may be wrought by the power of second causes but miracles are only of God being above if not contrary to the course of nature How clear and convincing were these miracles wrought by Moses in Egypt by Christ and his Apostles so in that forecited place Act. 4 16. The Rulers confess that indeed a notable miracle had been done by these men is manifest to all c. Their miracles were so clear so infallible and many for kind that it were blasphemous to think or say God would afford them to confirm any Doctrine but his own And to this I shall add the providence of God in preserving the Scriptures and the Church cleaving to the Doctrine thereof against all the malice of Satan and wicked men bended against both How long is it since they sought to root out Israel and yet she is to the fore How long since Antiochus made search for all Copies of the Scripture destroyed some and sought to destroy the rest and yet it is preserved and hath spread How long since crouds of Errors and Hereticks have sought to adulterat and corrupt the Scriptures since the days of Christ and his Apostles and yet the providence of God hath so vigilantly watched over it that it is kept pure and uncorrupt and so transmitted to us at this day in thâ— primitive language from the Church of Rome which no doubt would have done with the Scriptures as they did with other Writings of the ancient Fathers had they known that use would have been made of them against them And to this I may add the providence of God against the Enemies of the Scriptures and the Church professing them Antiochus fell without hand the Babylonian Monarchy no sooner medled with the Church of the Jews but it came to an end and in all ages the providence of God hath been eminently seen in the judgments of God upon these that opposed the Scriptures and the Professors thereof These are some evidences that the Scriptures are of God and of Divine Authority In the 3d place I told you that beside the Historical verity of the Scriptures supposed and the Divine Authority of them proposed there is need of the Spirit to discern these things I shall not trouble you with the quirks