these two Marks ¶ and †at pag. 7. the former referrs to p. 47. the latter to p 87. THE CONTENTS OF THE Rules for a Student of the Holy Scriptures SECTION I. THE Language of Scripture one help for the explaining of it pag. 3 To lay the Books and Chapters in their due Order another 4 The Way to come to this Skill is to cast the Bible into a continued Chronicle Ib. The Benefit of it Ib. Eight Literal Observations for this Purpose 5 SECT II. The Number of the Canonical Books 11 The Apocrypha the Work of some Jews Ib. Some Observations thereon 12 SECT III. The Old Testament The Method of reading the whole Book of GENESIS with Explanations and Cursory Observations upon each Chapter beginning at p. 12 The Order of reading JOB 28 SECT IV. The Method of reading the Book of EXODUS with Explanations and Cursory Observations throughout the whole Book beginning at p. 29 The Departure of Israel out of Egypt laid Kalendar-wise 31 c. The Tabernacle and Types of it 37 c. The giving of the Law 40 SECT V. The Method of reading the Book of LEVITICUS with some useful Instructions concerning the Ceremonies enjoyned therein The Laws of Leprosie what they imported 48 49 SECT VI. Notes and Explanations upon each Chapter of the Book of NUMBERS 49 A Summary of the Book of DEUTERONOMY 52 SECT VIII A Declaration of the Matters contained in the Book of JOSHUA Chapter by Chapter 53 54 The Story of Caleb's taking of KiriÌ„ath Sepher Chap. xv why rehearsed in Judg. i. 54 SECT IX The true Order for reading of the Book of JUDGES with Explanations 55 c. The Book of RUTH to be read near the beginning of this Book 58 SECT X. Directions for the Methodical reading of the Books of SAMUEL KINGS and CHRONICLES with Cursory Obâ—â—â—vations Instructions where the PSALMS PROVERBS CANTICLES ECCLESIASTES and JONAH fall in to be read Some special Notes concerning the Book of PSALMS 59 c. SECT XI The Prophetical Books A Rule where and how to lay them as to Order of Time And as to the Precedency of the Prophets living under the same Reign How to read the Prophets unto the Captivity The Captivity-Books to be cast into a Chronicle Scripture Chronology will direct to find what is not possible to express And particularly the beginning of the Seventy Years Captivity 65 66 SECT XII The New Testament The Spirit and Glory of the Old Testament light upon the New 66 Two things of singular Vse in reading of the New Testament 1. In the Evangelists to search out the true and exact Order 2. In reading the New Testament never to take the Eye off the Old 67 SECT XIII Evangelium Mosaico-Propheticum The Gospel and History of Christ to be traced in Moses and the Prophets 68 SECT XIV The Order of the Evangelists The Four Evangelists laid in an intire continued Story till within a Twelvemonth of Christ's Death A Note concerning the Supper in the Nineteenth Chapter of S. John 72 73 The rest of the Tract in Forty-four Sections shew orderly and distinctly how each Evangelist is to be read according to the Order of Time together with Notes and Observations to prove the Order RULES FOR A STUDENT OF THE Holy Scriptures With Directions how to read the History of the Bible Methodically according to the true Order of Time and consequently for the better Understanding and more Profit RULES FOR A STUDENT OF THE Holy Scriptures SECT I. THAT the Scripture is the best Expositor of its self none ever deny'd but they that would not have the Scriptures expounded The helps that it affords for explaining of its self are various The first to be lookt after is the Language The Spirit of God upon the same Occasions using the same Words in the Original This observed which in Translations cannot be so well expressed giveth Light to Things which otherwise were obscure The Groundwork of the Two Testaments is Hebrew and Greek but upon Occasion flourisht with Chaldee Arabic Syrian Latine c. The Holy Spirit seldom or never using these but intimating something of Note if our Eyes be but serious So in Hos. V. 5. speaking of Israel's seeking God in Affliction he useth the Chaldee Form to teach where that Affliction and Seeking must be So Psal. cxvi 12 the Benefits of God there spoken of are in Chaldee Form for the same reason To spare more the very Language wherein the Doom of Babel is written on the Wall Mene Tekel Upharsin the fullest Piece that ever the World saw in so few Words imports a great deal of Divine Wisdom But every one that desires to read the Bible with Profit cannot see this The first thing then for them that only read Translations to be looked after in reading the Scriptures is to lay the Books and Chapters in their true Order The Holy Spirit hath in divers Places purposely and divinely laid Stories and Passages out of their proper Places for special Ends The Evangelists especially witness this Here the Skill of the Reader is first to reduce each thing to his own Place And secondly to seek the Divine Reason why it is misplaced The only way to come to this Skill is by casting the Story of the Bible into a continued Chronicle Which as the Spirit hath given undoubted Helps to draw so being drawn it is the most Satisfactory Delightsome and Confirmative of the Understanding Mind and Memory that may be This settles Histories in your Mind This brings the things as iâ— done before your Eyes This makes you mark what else you would not and this suffers you not to slip over the least Tittle of a Word And sometimes in things of Doubt and Scruple this Strikes all out of Question The great Doubts in the Primitive Church about Methuselah's living in the Year of the Flood and of Sem's being Melchisedek as they grew from this Course so from this Course had it been truly followed they had been soon resolved I will not anticipate your Study else could I shew in Hab. iii. 2 Joh. xiii and other Places Doubts to be raised not to be answered but bâ— Skill in Scripture Chronicle and being so answered of great Weight and Sweetness Two or Three Hours Oral Instructions from one that hath gone this way would give more Readiness in Scripture-text than whole Days before For the present take these literal Observations with you which may something ease and further you in your Entry upon this Course I. Observe That the Scripture of the Old Testament hath in gross Sums chained the Times together from the beginning of the World to the Death of Christ. These are easie to find and upon the finding it is no hard Task to find out the several or special manner of reckoning of every Link As between the Creation and Flood the Years are reckoned compleat In the paralleling of Judah's and Israel's Kingdom most commonly current but sometimes otherwise II. The Jewish
And so they maintain it is lawful to Excommunicate Depose Murder Princes out of Zeal to Religion And so they made it lawful nay laudable to murder so many innocent Souls in that Massacre in France Against Transubstantiation I hope every one laughs at the Doctrine of Transubstantion that will fetch Christ from Heaven at every Sacrament The Master-piece of Delusion Satan shews here how much Delusion he can practice in the greatest Ignorance For a Man against Sense and Reason Philosophy and Divinity to believe a Priest can calâ— Christ out of Heaven and turn a piece of Bread into his very Body The strangest Madness in the World I see it feel it Bread and yet must believe it Flesh. I know it was made yesterday by the Baker yet now I must believe it turned into my Creator I know Christ is in Heaven and yet must believe that he is here on Earth The Heathen were never more blind And against the immoral Doctrine of Equivocation Whereof he thus vehemently express'd himself I cannot but admire the Impudency as well as abhor the Wickedness of the Jesuits Doctrine of Equivocation A Doctrine that hath put on a Whore's Forehead a brazen Face and the Devil's Impudency it self before Men as well as it hath clothed it self with horrid Abominableness before God It is a Doctrine that teacheth Men to Lye and yet will maintain they Lye not And by their Doctrine there can be no Lying Forswearing or Deceiving in the World though they Lye Forswear and Deceive never so deeply A Trick beyond the Devils He turns Truth into a Lye These can turn a Lye into Truth A Popish Priest or Jesuite is brought before a Protestant Magistrate He puts him to his Oath Are you a Popish Priest or a Jesuite They will Swear NO roundly and make no Bones of it having this Reserve in their Mind I am not a Priest to you or I am not a Priest of the English Church or I am not a Jesuite to tell you or be your Confessor or some such lurking reserved Thought in his Mind This Man hath not told a Lye tho' he speaks not a Word true He hath not taken a False Oath though he hath Sworn Falsly As the Devil changeth himself into an Angel of Light so these a Lye into a Truth But as he is a Lyar still and is most dangerous when he seems a good Angel so is their Lye when they thus Cloath it with the pretence of Truth Into their secret let not my Soul come and with their Counsil my Glory be not thou united Finally He shewed them the Preference of the Protestant Religion before that of the Papists This is the Reason saith he that so many Protestants turn Papists This he spake in the Year 1674. Because Popery opens an easier way to Heaven a Thousand fold than the Protestant doth Add to this the Viciousness of the Times And the more Viciousness abounds the more will such Apostacy abound according to the intimation of our Saviour Matth. xxiv Because Iniquity shall abound the Love of many to God and his Truth shall wax cold Men would fain enjoy their Pleasures here and yet go to Heaven too They would fain have their Paradise here and have Paradise hereafter This Popery helps them too almost with a wet Finger Hath a Man committed Whoredom Adultery been Guilty of Deceit Luxury Uncharitableness let him go and Confess himself to a Priest and the Priest absolves him and those Sins are gone and there is no more danger of them Or Oh! For how many Thousand Sins for how many Thousand Years can the Pope Pardon him How may Pilgrimage to such a Saint fetch him off How may so many Fastings so many Ave Maries so often lying in Hair-cloth so many Masses make all well and out of Danger That it is as easie almost with them to get to Heaven as for a Man to do his ordinary Days Work But the Protestant Doctrine makes obtaining Salvation a harder Task according to the Truth of the Scripture John vi you read of divers that went away from Christ because they thought his Doctrine a Hard Saying So doth the poor Protestant Religion lose Followers upon the same account None is of poor Michaiah's side because he speaks Truth and Home But let Ahab have the Four Hundred false Prophets for they will be sure to make all well for him let him do what he will There are Four Hundred and Four Hundred false Prophets in the Popish Cause that will warrant the veriest Ahab that ever was Heaven If he have but Money to fee them well will Pray him to Heaven Sing him to Heaven Pardon him to Heaven and he shall never see Hell and it may be not Purgatory It is easie to see by this Comparison which is the truer and better Religion of the Two By these and such like sound and sober Discourses he built up his People committed to his Charge in Truth and Godliness So that it is reported he had not a Dissenter in his Parish The People of his Flock Honest Quiet and Industrious his Church constantly and conscientiously repaired to every Lord's Day with due Devotion And thus I have at length dispatched what I had to say both of our Author and these Remains of his which are now made Publick And I who have once more revived the Memory of this great Ornament of Literature and of our Church of England shall I hope not only be Pardoned but merit some Thanks from the Piously Learned and Sober-Minded Rank of Men. I had some inclination to have added a Fourth Tract of this Author's Namely A Chronicle of Events and Occurrences in the World under the Kings of France and the Ottoman Emperour made by one Joseph a Priest who lived about the Times of Henry VIII Being a Fair Translation out of Hebrew into English done by the Doctor 's own Hand Which he seemed to have taken all this pains about because the History is interspersed with what befel Jerusalem after the Destruction of it by Titus the Emperor and with the Wars waged by divers Kings and Princes for the Gaining and Possession of that Place once so famous for being the Spot of all the Earth appointed for God's Holy Temple to be built on and for the Son of God to Converse and Die and Redeem the World in And also because here is set forth by the Pen of a Jew himself the State and Condition of the Jews in the latter Times and particularly the sad Persecutions and Calamities that befel them by the just Judgment of God in these Western Parts of the World as well as in other Parts by the German and French Nations Whereby might be seen some History of that Desolate Forsaken People and of the Scourge of God upon them in successive Generations ever since they Rejected and Crucified their Messiah and took the Guilt of his Blood upon themselves and their Children The State of which People from Age to Age
Particulars 1. Christ loved his Church and gave himself for it What for all that make an outward Profession Adulterers Fornicators Drunkards and the like Doth he love such Doth he give himself for such Many and many better Professors shall be refused of Christ at the great Day because they were not sincere in their Profession tho' not so abominable in Conversation Mat. vii 22 23. Many will say to me in that Day Lord Lord have we not prophesied in thy Name and in thy Name have cast out Devils and in thy Name done many marvellous Works And then I will profess unto them I never knew you depart from me ye that Work Iniquity We cannot think that such were so abominable in their Conversation but Christ found they were not sincere in Profession The foolish Virgins we cannot imagine that they were Whores for they were Virgins Or that they were abominable in their Lives but they were foolish drowsie and negligent Now if Christ is so far from owning such as are so fair-carriaged think you he owns loves and gave himself for horrid Wretches that despise him 2. The true Church is cleansed sanctified without Spot or Wrinkle Look on the most nay almost all in the visible Church that make an outward Profession and do they carry such a Mark How few are there upon whose Conversation is Holiness to the Lord As Tit. i. 16 They profess that they know God but in Works deny him At Christ's Table there was One Devil to Eleven Saints in the visible Church it is well if there be one Saint to many Devils One of a City and Two of a Tribe like a few Berries after beating the Olive-Tree I may use the Stile of Eliphaz Job xxii 15 Hast thou marked the old way which wicked Men have trodden Mark the way of the World which most Men walk in Observe how unsuitable it is to the Gospel to the Example of Christ and the Discharge of a good Conscience And then look upon these Marks of the true Church of God And then judge whether it be not true that the Church of God is the least part of the VVorld and the least part of the Church visible Our Saviour asserts the former in Fear not little Flock c. Also the latter in Many are called but few are chosen Many in outward Profession in the visible Church but few truly the Church of God And so we may answer that Cavil of the Papists we spake of before Where was your Religion all the time of Popery Answer In the Scripture Had a Jew questioned a Heathen at his first Conversion Where was your Religion heretofore He might have answered In the Scriptures We profess nothing but what is in the Scripture As Acts xxvi 22 Saying none other things than those which the Prophets and Moses did say should come But where was our Church It was but invisible Some there were that worshipped God according to Scripture that he saw and knew tho' invisible and unknown to Men. That then that we are to believe in this Article is I. That God ordinarily hath had hath and will have a visible Church for the glorifying of his Word and Name But II. Tho' the Church be not visible yet God hath always some that belong to him and serve him And this is the Church of God tho' not to be discerned of Men. These most properly are the Church as Ecclesia signifies that is Called out A People called out of the World tho' in the World yet called out of it so that they are not of it Called off from the Course Way Doings of the World as it were into another Climate Many are called that is Have the Call held out to them but they follow it not called to but not called out But these as the Apostles did follow the Call of Christ and forsake the World Called to be Saints and they become Saints or Holy Now for further Explication and Illustration of this Article I shall descend to enquire into two Questions I. Whether every Christian who is bound to believe that there is a Church is bound also to believe that he is of this Church II. How far Christians are obliged to believe the Church that is Councils Synods or Primitive Fathers I. Whether every Christian is bound to believe that he is of this Church For certainly it seems strange for Men to believe as Standers by only as if they were not concerned in the thing believed I believe that there is a holy chosen number to be saved that God delights in them that they faithfully serve him and that they have Communion with God Forgiveness of their Sins But what is all this to thee What art thou the better for it And therefore certainly the Article hath further aim than to intend only a bare Belief But doth it reach to this I believe I am of this number To proceed gradually first let me observe two things by the way 1. That nothing is to be believed as a necessary Point of Faith but it concerns the Soul therefore believing of it must be to benefit the Soul Corde creditur ad justitiam With the Heart Man believeth to Righteousness It is not all to believe the thing is true but fâ—rther to believe so as the Soul may have Advantage Take an Instance One of the first things in Religion to be believed is That the Scriptures are the Word of God and divinely true This who believes not The Devil himself cannot deny it Nay he cited Scripture as the Word of God to our Saviour And there are Thousands in Hell that never made doubt of this Therefore the believing of this must have a further reach that the Soul may receive Benefit upon so believing 2. The believing the needful Points of Religion is not an Act of the Understanding only but of the Will and Conscience also It is a Question Whether Faith be an Act of the Understanding or Will And it is concluded of both especially the latter I believe that there was a Julius Caesar an Alexander Magnus Here is only an Act of the Understanding because I have no more to do with it but only to believe it But I believe that Christ was born died rose again that there is Forgiveness of Sins that there is a God an Heaven a Day of Judgment And in reference to these I have something more to do than barely to satisfie my Understanding that the things are true For I have to work my Will and Affections upon my Belief that my Soul may be benefited to Eternity These things premised let us apply to the thing in Hand Then I am not only barely to believe that there is a Church but my Soul is to be working upon this Belief for its Good to be affected in Heart according to the Import of the thing believed And this may be upon a twofold Reflexion When I say I believe a Holy Catholick Church that there is always a Company of
Christ it is in the Heart and Spirit and there for ever II. This is the Church Militant here Much is spoken of the Church Militant And Scripture Warrants such a Title Ye sight against Principalities and Powers And As a good Soldier of Jesus Christ. Now how many Thousands are there in the visible Church that never strike Stroke that are Lookers on nay scarce so much that mind not the Christian Warfare at all and that never resist the Flesh the World or the Devil II. I come now to the second Question How far to believe the Church As the Church is sometimes taken for Councils Synods or Convocations or Primitive Fathers I mean not barely the Colliar's Faith to believe as the Church believes tho' he knew not what it was but knowing throughly the Determinations of these whether it be absolutely necessary for us to believe them because they are the Determinations of the Church The Romanist saith Yes And he that believes not what Holy Mother Church determines is a Heretick He that believes not according to what the Council of Trent hath determined let him be Anathema 〈◊〉 answer We first begin here That the Scriptureâ— coâ—ntain all things needful for Faith and Life 〈◊〉 in Es. viii 19 20. And when they shall say unto you seek unto them that have familiar Spirits and unto Wizzards that peep and that Mutter Should not a People seek unto their God To the Law and to the Testimony If they speak not according to this Word it is because there is no Light in them So may I say also in this case if they say to you Seek to Councils Fathers Canons Determinations of the Church To the Law and to the Testimony to Scripture and Holy Writ that contains every thing you need to enquire after for Salvation What to be believed and what to be done Psal. cxix 105 Thy Word is a Lamp unto my Feet and a Light unto my Path. VVhithersoever you need to walk for the pleasing of God doing your duty to Men or to your own Souls the VVord of God is a Light sufficient In the Place before-mentioned Es. viii 19 20. Should not a People seek unto their God For the living to the dead To the Law and to the Testimony It is curiosity to enquire after Necromancy But if we desire to know what is fit and needful To the Law and to the Testimony Mal. iv 4 Remember ye the Law of Moses my Servant which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel with the Statutes and Judgments Prophecy was then ceasing People might complain what shall we do for Instruction VVhy go to the VVord of God which you have in your Hands to the Law of Moses that will teach you Luke xvi ult Dives desires Abraham to send one from the Dead to teach his Brethren that they might escape that Place of Torment No that needs not Moses and the Prophets will teach all things needful They have Moses and the Prophets let them hear them The Apostle speaks this fully 2 Tim. iii. 16 17. All Scripture is given by Inspiration of God and is profitable for Doctrine for Reproof for Correction for Instruction in Righteousness That the Man of God may be perfect throughly furnished unto all good Works The Papist saith it is not sufficient to instruct in all things of Religion True not of the Romish Religion For the Rags that patch that you must go to some Broker For the Divine VVardrobe of Scripture hath none such viz. the Orders of Monks and Friars Pilgrimages single Life of the Clergy Salt Oil Spittle in Baptism Tapers at the Communion Processions Praying to and for the Dead and a Thousand other Trinklements and Trumperies Scripture never knew such base VVare we must go to some other kind of Shop for it And that Pedlar with them is Tradition VVhen they cannot find Authority to warrant them by Scripture then they have Recourse to some Tradition VVhen they have some Bastard-Doctrine or Practice and want Scripture to father it then they go to some old rotten Tradition Just so did the Jews and these are so like them that Egg to Egg is not more You know Christ's Accusation of those Mat. xv 8 9. This People draweth nigh unto me with their Mouth and honoureth me with their Lips but their Heart is far from me But in vain they do worship me teaching for Doctrines the Commandments of Men. And the very same Quarrel hath he against these The Jews pretended a Thousand Traditions of the Fathers so do these they equalled them with Scripture so do these they spoiled all Religion and made the VVord of God of none Effect and so do these As if God were a Niggard in his VVord and did not afford Food for Salvation but we must seek it in Dunghills The Scriptures are called the Scriptures of Truth the Word of Grace of Salvation able to make Man perfect throughly furnished to every good Work and yet these forsooth must be patch'd out with Traditions or they avail nothing As Argo was patch'd till there was nothing of the old Ship left So these Men have patch'd up a VVord of God till there is nothing of the VVord of God left in it Secondly The Scriptures are to be believed for themselves and they need not fetch their Credit from any thing else Dan. x. 21 I will shew thee that which is noted in the Scripture of Truth They are the TRUTH See John v. 39 Search the Scriptures for in them ye think ye have Eternal Life and they are they that testifie of me Observe the Bent of Christ's Discourse To clear that he was the Messias he produceth the VVitness of John ver 33. Ye sent unto John and he bare Witness unto the Truth His own VVorks v. 36. But I have a greater Witness than that of John for the Works which the Father hath given me to finish the same Works that I do bear witness of me that the Father hath sent me A Voice from Heaven ver 37. And the Father himself which hath sent me hath born witness of me But he concludes in Scripture as the most undeniable Testimony Search the Scriptures for in them ye think ye have Eternal Life and they are they that testifie of me See also 2 Pet. i. 17 18 19. For he received from God the Father Honour and Glory when there came such a Voice to him from the excellent Glory This is my beloved Son c. And this Voice which came from Heaven we heard when we were with him in the Holy Mount We have also a more sure Word of Prophecy A Voice from Heaven might possibly deceive the Jews feigned such but the Word of prophecy is sure that is a more sure Word The Reason of the Scriptures Credibility is because they are the Word of God 1 Thess. ii 13 When ye received the Word of God which ye heard of us ye received it not as the Word of Men but as it
is in Truth the Word of God which effectually worketh also in you that believe They received it as the Word of God How knew they that From the Scriptures themselves Therefore it is said that they are the Formal Object of Faith as well as the Material They contain what is to be believed and the reason why to believe them And that is especially twofold I. The Majesty of the Spirit of God speaking in them II. Their powerful Working I. The Majesty of the Spirit of God speaking in them such things as Man cannot speak 1 Cor. ii 10 The Spirit searcheth all things yea the deep things of God And we may say the deep things of Man yea and the Depths of Satan as Rev. ii 24 1. How impossible is it for Man to reveal the deep Mysteries of Salvation i. e. the Mind of God 1 Cor. ii 16 Who hath known the Mind of the Lord that he may instruct him But we have the Mind of Christ. In Scripture we have it And ver 7 8 9. of that Chapter But we speak the Wisdom of God in a Mystery even the hidden Wisdom which God ordained before the World unto our Glory Which none of the Princes of this World knew For had they known it they would not have Crucified the Lord of Glory But as it is written Eye hath not seen nor Ear heard c. The hidden Wisdom of God Let all the Wits in the World have conspired together could they have told the secret Wisdom and Mind of God about Salvation God Christ and the Divine Operation of his Spirit the Fruits of Grace and the Weight of Eternal Glory How blind was the Wisdom of all the World to these Mysteries So far that when they were revealed they were accounted but Folly 1 Cor. i. 25 Because the Foolishness of God is wiser than Men and the Weakness of God is stronger than Men. That is as they took them And that Opinion is transplanted into Papacy which will find out a wiser Way to Salvation than the Scriptures have directed Herein the Majesty of Scripture shews it self because it speaks of those sublime Divine hidden things that Men's Wisdom could never find out As they John vii 46 are convinced that Christ was more than other Men because he spake as never Man spake so the Majesty of the Scriptures declares that they are the Divine Word of God because Men never spake Men cannot speak as they speak 2. The Majesty of the Spirit in Scripture appears in that it reveals the very Thoughts and commands the very Heart of Man Heb. iv 12 The Word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged Sword piercing even to the dividing asunder of Soul and Spirit and of the Joynts and Marrow and is a Discerner of the Thoughts and Intents of the Heart And 1 Cor. xiv 24 25. But if all Prophesie and there come in one that believeth not or one unlearned he is convinced of all he is judged of all And thus are the Secrets of his Heart made manifest and so falling down on his Face he will worship God and report that God is in you of a Truth It can discover a Hypocrite can make an Atheist tremble can pierce to the very Thoughts and Imaginations of the Heart That as the Woman of Samaria said because Christ had told her the secret Wickedness of her Life John iv 29 Come see a Man which told me all things that ever I did So we must conclude of this it is able to discern check regulate the very Thoughts of the Heart Therefore not the Invention of Men but the Powerful Divine Searching Word of God 3. The Majesty of the Scriptures appears in that it discovers the very Subtilties of Satan We are not ignorant of his Wiles saith the Apostle How come we to know them This Divine Light hath shewed them It would have been hard to have known that there is a Devil had not this discovered it And it would have been impossible to have discovered his Plots and Malice and Temptations else This Divine Word hath done it in despite of Satan Would he ever have had his Plots discovered if he could have hindred That Men should know his Mischief and Malice and Subtilty He would gladly have walked as an Angel of Light that Men might not suspect his Delusions but this Divine Word hath pulled off his Vizar and shewed his Designs in open Light It madded the King of Syria that all his secret Stratagems against the King of Israel were discovered by the Prophet Elisha 2 Kings vi 11 12. It vexeth this King of Darkness that his private Policies and Actings should be laid open But this Sacred Word doth it and he cannot prevent it Thus doth the Scripture reveal it self to be the Word of God by its Divine Majesty wherein it speaketh and by the Wisdom wherein it shews it self II. In its powerful Working breaking Hearts converting Souls conquering the Kingdom of Satan How have the Scriptures gone through the World and made Nations bow before them and have cast out Satan and his Power So that if we should say as they did What Sign shewest thou that thou art Christ So what Sign shew ye that ye are the Word of God They may answer Look through the World how many Thousands have been converted and saved how is the Idolatry and Blindness of the Heathen cast out how hath Satan been bound and many poor Souls taught and armed to resist all his Power Papists talk much what the Sign of the Cross and Holy Water can do for mastering the Devil Fabulae aniles But Thousands of Experiences have shewed what the Divine Word of God in Scripture can do against him And thus do they evidence themselves to be the Word of God and so to be believed for themselves because they are the VVord of God Then is no Man no Company of Men to be believed but as what they say is agreeable to Scripture No Council Father Church If they speak not according to Scripture it is because there is no Light in them and not to be believed Let God be true and every Man a Lyar saith the Apostle So we are to say in this case VVhosoever speaks not according to the Truth of God in Scripture he is but a Lyar and the Truth is not in him You understand that I speak of things of Faith and Religion In Historical Natural Civil Moral Things we deny not but that they speak much Truth But that is to be tryed by our Reading and Reason But in the things of Divine Concernment there is no Truth but that of Scripture or what speaks agreeable to it Gal. i. 8 Though we or an Angel from Heaven preach any other Gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you let him be accursed I might instance how the Fathers themselves harp upon this String Non quid Augustinus nec quid Hieronymus sed quid Scriptura Not that which