Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
scripture_n	apostle_n	contain_v	doctrine_n	2,322	5	6.1087	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A86417	Philosophicall rudiments concerning government and society. Or, A dissertation concerning man in his severall habitudes and respects, as the member of a society, first secular, and then sacred. Containing the elements of civill politie in the agreement which it hath both with naturall and divine lawes. In which is demonstrated, both what the origine of justice is, and wherein the essence of Christian religion doth consist. Together with the nature, limits, and qualifications both of regiment and subjection. / By Tho: Hobbes.; De cive. English	Hobbes, Thomas, 1588-1679.; Vaughan, Robert, engraver.	1651 (1651)	Wing H2253; Thomason E1262_1; ESTC R202404	220,568	406

in each City have obtained the Soveraignty the supreme authority of judging determineing al manner of cōtroversies about temporal matters we must see henceforth to whom he hath left the same authority in matters spirituall Which because it cannot bee known except it be out of the word of God and the Tradition of the Church we must enquire in the next place what the word of God is what to interpret it what a Church is and what the will and command of the Church To omit that the word of God is in Scripture taken sometimes for the Sonne of God it is used three manner of wayes First most properly for that which God hath spoken Thus whatsoever God spake unto Abraham the Patriar●hs Moses and the Prophets our Saviour to his Disciples or any others is the word of God Secondly whatsoever hath been uttered by men on the motion or by Command of the Holy Ghost in which sense we acknowledge the Scriptures to be the word of God Thirdly in the New Testament indeed the word of God most frequently signifies the Doctrine of the Gospell or the word concerning God or the word of the Kingdome of God by CHRIST as where it is said that CHRIST preach't the Gospell of the Kingdome Mat. 4. vers 23. Where the Apostles are said to preach the word of God Acts 13. vers 46. Where the word of God is called the word of life Acts 5. vers 20. The word of the Gospell Acts 15. vers 7. The word of faith Rom. 10. vers 8. The word of truth that is to say adding an interpretation The Gospel of salvation Eph. 1. 13. And where it is called the word of the Apostles For Saint Paul sayes If any man obey not our word c. 2. Thess 3. vers 14. which places cannot be otherwise meant then of the doctrine Evang●licall In like manner where the word of God is said to be sowen to encrease and to be multiplied Acts 12. vers 24. and Chap. 13. vers 49. it is very hard to ceive this to be spoken of the voye● of God or of his Apostles but of their doctrine easie And in this third acception is all that doctrine of the Christian faith which at this day is preacht in Pulpi●s and contained in the hooks of divines the word of God XVI Now the sacred Seripture is intirely the word of God in this second acception as being that which we acknowledge to be inspired from God and innumerable places of it in the first and seeing the greatest part of it is conversant either in the prediction of the Kingdome of Heaven or in prefigurations before the incarnation of CHRIST or in Evangelization and explication after The sacred Scripture is also the word of God and therefore the Canon and Rule of all Evangelicall Doctrine in this third signification where the word of God is taken for the word concerning God that is to say for the Gospel But because in the same Scriptures we read many things Politicall Historicall Morall Physicall and others which nothing at all concern the Myste●ies of our faith those places although they contain true doctrine and are the Canon of such kind of doctrines yet can they not be the Canon of the Mysteries of Christian Religion XVII And truly it is not the dead voyce or letter of the word of God which is the Canon of Christian doctrine but a true and genui●e determination For the minde is not governed by Scriptures unlesse they be understood There is need therefore of an Interpreter to make the Scriptures Canon and hence followes one of these two things that either the word of the Interpreter is the word of God or that the Canon of Christian doctrin is not the word of God The last of these must necessarily be false for the rule of that doctrine which cannot be knowne by any humane reason but by divine revelation only cannot be lesse then divine for whom we acknowledge not to be able to discern whether some doctrin be true or not its impossible to account his opinion for a rule in the same doctrine The first therefore is true That the word of an Interpreter of Scriptures is the word of God XVIII Now that Interpreter whose determination hath the honour to be held for the word of God is not every one that translates the Scriptures out of the Hebrew and Greek tongue to his Latine Auditors in Latine to his French in French and to other Nations in their mother tongue for this is not to interpret For such is the nature of speech in generall that although it deserve the chiefe place among those signes whereby we declare our conceptions to others yet cannot it perform that office alone without the help of many circumstances For the living voice hath its interpreters present to wit time place countenance gesture the Counsell of the Speaker and himselfe unfolding his own meaning in other words as oft as need is To recall these aids of interpretation so much desired in the writings of old time is neither the part of an ordinary wit nor yet of the quaintest without great learning and very much skill in antiquity It sufficeth not therefore for interpretation of Scriptures that a man understand the language wherein they speak Neither is every one an authentique Interpreter of Scriptures who writes Comments upon them For men may erre they may also either bend them to serve their own ambition or even resisting draw them into bondage by their forestallings whence it will follow that an erroneous sentence must be held for the word of God But although this could not happen yet as soon as these Commentators are departed their Commentaries will need explications and in processe of time those explications expositions those expositions new Commentaries without any end so as there cannot in any written Interpretation whatsoeve be a Canon o● Rule of Christian doctrine whereby the Controversies of Religion may be determined It remains that there must bee some Canonicall Interpreter whose legitimate Office it is to end Controversies begun by explaining the word of God in the judgements themselves and whose authority therefore must be no lesse obeyed then theirs who first recommended the Scripture it selfe to us for a Canon of faith and that one and the same Person be an Interpreter of Scripture and a supreme Judge of all manner of doctrines XIX What concerns the word Ecclesia or Church originally it signifies the same thing that Concio or a congregation does in Latin even as Ecclesiastes or Church-man the same that concionator or Preacher that is to say He who speaks to the Congregation In which sense wee read in the Acts of the Apostles of a Church confused and of a Lawfull Church Acts 19. vers 32 39. That taken for a Concourse of people meeting in way of tumult this for a convocated Assembly But in holy writ by a Church of Christians is sometimes understood the Assembly and sometimes

and motion In the second we would have beene conversant about imagination Memory intellect ratio●ination appetite Will good and Evill honest and dishonest and the like what this last Section handles I have now already shewed you Whilest I contrive order pensively and slowly compose these matters for I onely doe reason I dispute not It so happen'd in the interim that my Country some few yeares before the civill Warres did rage was boyling ●ot with questions concerning the rights of Dominion and the obedience due from Subjects the true forerunners of an approaching War And was the cause which all those other matters deferr'd ripen'd and pluckt from me this third part Therefore it happens that what was last in order is yet come forth first in time and the rather because I saw that grounded on its owne principles sufficiently knowne by experience it would not stand in need of the former Sections I have not yet made it out of a desire of praise although if I had I might have defended my selse with this faire excuse that very few doe things laudably who are not affected with commendation but for your sakes Readers who I perswaded my selse when you should rightly apprehend and throughly understand this Doctrine I here present you with would rather chuse to brooke with patience some inconveniences under government because humane affairs cannot possibly be without some then selfe opiniatedly disturb the quiet of the publique That weighing the justice of those things you are about not by the perswa●ion and advise of private men but by the Lawes of the Realme you will no longer suffer ambitious men through the streames of your blood to wade to their owne power That you will esteeme it better to enjoy your selves in the present state though perhaps not the best then by waging Warre indeavour to procure a reformation for other men in another age your selves in the meane while either kill'd or consumed with age Farthermore for those who will not acknowledge themselves subject to the civill Magistrate and will be exempt from all publique burthens and yet will live under his Jurisdiction and looks for protection from the violence and injuries of others that you would not looke on them as fellow Subjects but esteeme them for enemies and spies and that yee rashly admit not for Gods Word all which either openly or privately they shall pretend to bee so I say more plainly if any Preacher Confessor or Casuist shal but say that this doctrin is agreeable with Gods word namely That the chief ruler nay any private man may lawfully be put to death without the chiefes command or that Subjects may resist conspire or covenant against the supreme power that ye by no means beleeve them but instantly declare their names He who approves of these reasons will also like my intention in writing this book Last of al I have propounded to my self this rule through this whole discourse First not to define ought which concerns the justice of single actions but leave thē to be determined by the laws Next not to dispute the laws of any government in special that is not to point which are the laws of any country but to declare what the laws of all countries are Thirdly not to seem of opinion that there is a lesse proportion of obedience due to an Aristocraty or D●mocraty then a Monarchy for though I have endeavoured by arguments in my tenth Chapter to gain a belief in men that Monarchy is the most commodious government which one thing alone I confesse in this whole book not to be demonstrated but only probably stated yet every where I expresly say that in all kind of Government whatsoever there ought to be a supreme and equall power Fourthly not in any wise to dispute the positions of Divines except th●se which strip Subjects of their obedience and shake the foundations of civill government Lastly lest I might imprudently set forth somewhat of which there would be no need what I had thus written I would not presently expose to publique interest wherefore I got some few copies privately disperst among some of my friends that discrying the opinions of others if any things appeared erroneous hard or obscure I might correct soften and explain them These things I found most bitterly excepted against that I had made the civill powers too large but this by Ecclesiasticall Persons that I had utterly taken away liberty of conscience but this by Sectaries that I had set Princes above the civil Laws but this by Lawyers wherefore I was not much moved by these mens reprehensions as who in doing this did but do their own business except it were tye those knots somewhat faster But for their sakes who have a litle been staggered at the Principles themselves to wit the nature of men the authority or right of nature the nature of compacts and contracts and the originall of civill government because in finding fault they have not so much followed their Passions as their common sense I have therefore in some places added some annotations whereby I presumed I might give some satisfaction to their differing thoughts Lastly I have endevoured to offend none beside those whose Principles these contradict and whose tender mindes are lightly offended by every difference of opinions Wherefore if ye shall meet with some things which have more of sharpnesse and lesse of certainty then they ought to have since they are not so much spoken for the maintenance of parties as the establishment of peace and by one whose just grief for the present calamities of his country may very charitably be allowed some liberty it is his only request to ye Readers ye will deign to receive them with an equall mind The Index of the Chapters under the titles of LIBERTY CHAP. I. OF the State of men without civill society 1 CHAP. II. Of the Law of nature concerning contracts 16 CHAP. III. Of the other Lawes of nature 34 CHAP. IV. That the Law of nature is a divine Law 58 EMPIRE CHAP. V. OF the causes and first Originall of civill government 73 CHAP. VI. Of the right whether we consider it in an Assembly or in one Person 〈◊〉 which he hath who is endued with supreme authority 82 CHAP. VII Of the three kindes of government Democraty Aristocraty and Monarchy 100 CHAP. VIII Of the right which Lords and Masters have over their Servants 126 CHAP. IX Of the rights which Parents have over their children and of a Kingdome Paternall 173 CHAP. X. A comparison of the three kinds of government each with other according to the inconveniences of each one 146 CHAP. XI The places and examples of Scripture concerning the right of government which make for proof of the foresaid Doctrines 165 CHAP. XII Of the inward causes which dissolve all civill government 172 CHAP. XIII Of the duties of those men who sit at the Helm of State 189 CHAP. XIV Of Lawes and Sinnes 208 RELIGION CHAP. XV. OF Gods government by

he was a Tyrant hast thou eaten of the tree whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat● For why doest thou call him a Tyrant whom God hath made a King except that thou being a private Person usurpest to thy self the knowledge of good and evill But how pernicious this opinion is to all governments but espcially to that which is Monarchieall we may hence discerne namely that by it every King whether good or ill stands exposed to be condemned by the judgement and slain by the hand of every ●…rtherous villain IV. The fourth adversary opinion to Civill Society is theirs who hold That they who bear Rule are Subject also to the Civill Lawes which hath been sufficiently proved before not to be true in the 6. Chap. Ar●ic 14. from this Argument That a City can neither be bound to it self nor to any subject not to it selfe because no man can be obliged except it be to another not to any Subject because the single wills of the Subjects are contained in the will of the City insomuch that if the City will be free from all such obligation the Subjects will so too and by consequence she is so But that which holds true in a City that must be supposed to be true in a man or an assembly of men who have the Supreme Authority for they make a City which hath no being but by their Supreme Power Now that this Opinion cannot consist with the very being of Government is evident from hence that by it the knowledge of what is Good and Evill that is to say the definition of what is and what is not against the Lawes would return to each single Person Obedience therefore will cease as oft as any thing seemes to be commanded contrary to the Civill Lawes and together with it all coercive jurisdiction which cannot possibly be without the destruction of the very essence of Government Yet this Errour hath great props Aristotle and others who by reason of humane infirmity suppose the Supreme Power to be committed with most security to the Lawes onely but they seem to have lookt very shallowly into the nature of Government who thought that the constrainning Power the interpretation of Lawes and the making of Lawes all which are powers necessarily belonging to Government should be left wholly to the Lawes themselves Now although particular Subjects may sometimes contend in judgement and goe to Law with the Supreme Magistrate yet this is onely then when the question is not what the Magistrate may but what by a certain Rule he hath declared he would doe As when by any Law the Judges sit upon the life of a Subject the question is not whether the Magistrate could by his absolute Right deprive him of his life but whether by that Law his will was that he should be deprived of it but his will was he should if he brake the Law else his will was he should not This thetefore that a Subject may have an action of Law against his Supreme Magistrate is not strength of Argument sufficient to prove that he is tyed to his own Lawes On the contrary it is evident that he is not tied to his owne Lawes because no man is bound to himself Lawes therefore are set for Titius and Caius not for the Ruler however by the ambition of Lawyers it is so ordered that the Lawes to unskilfull men seeme not to depend on the Authority of the Magistrate but their Prudence V. In the fifth place That the Supreme Authority may be divided is a most fatall Opinion to all Common-weales But diverse men divide it diverse wayes For some divide it so as to grant a Supremacy to the Civill Power in matters pertaining to Peace and the benefits of this life but in things concerning the salvation of the Soul they transfer it on others Now because justice is of all things most necessary to Salvation it happens that Subjects measuring justice not as they ought by the Civill Lawes but by the precepts and doctrines of them who in regard of the Magistrate are either private men or strangers through a superstitious fear dare not perform the obedience due to their Princes through fear falling into that which they most feared Now what can be more pernicious to any state then that men should by the apprehension of everlasting torments be deterred from obeying their Princes that is to say the Lawes or from being just There are also some who divide the Supreme Authority so as to allow the power of War and Peace unto one whom they call a Monarch but the right of raising Monies they give to some others and not to him But because monies are the sinewes of War and Peace they who thus divide the Authority doe either really not divide it at all but place it wholly in them in whose power the money is but give the name of it to another or if they doe really divide it they dissolve the Government for neither upon necessity can War be waged nor can the publique Peace be preserved without Money VI. It is a common doctrine That faith and holinesse are not acquired by study and naturall reason but are alwayes supernaturally infused and inspired into m●n which if it were true 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 or lastly why every man should not judge what 's fit for him to doe what to avoid rather out of his own inspiration then by the precepts of his Superiours or right Reason A return therefore must be made to the private knowledge of Good and Evil which cannot be granted without the ruine of all Governments This Opinion hath spread it self so largely through the whole Christian world that the number of Apostates from natural reason is almost become infinite and it sprang from sick-brained men who having gotten good store of Holy Words by frequent reading of the Scriptures made such a connexion of them usually in their preaching that their Sermons signifying just nothing yet to unlearned men seemed most divine for he whose non-sense appears to be a Divine speech must necessarily seeme to be inspired from above VII The seventh Doctrine opposite to Government is this That each subject hath an absolute Dominion over the goods be is in possession of That is to say such a propriety as excludes not only the right of all the rest of his fellow-subjects to the same goods but also of the Magistrate himself which is not true for they who have a Lord over them have themselves no Lordship as hath been proved Chap. 8. Artic. 5. Now the Magistrate is Lord of all his Subjects by the constitution of Government Before the yoke of Civill Society was undertaken no man had any proper Right all things were common to all men tell me therefore how gottest thou this propriety but from the Magistrate How got the

questions concerning Right and Philosophy And they who doe judge that any thing can be determin'd contrary to this common consent of men concerning the appellations of things out of obscure places of Scripture doe also judge that the use of speech and at once all humane society is to be taken away for he who hath sold an whole field will say he meant one whole ridg● and will retaine the rest as unsold nay they take away reason it selfe which is nothing else but a searching out of the truth made by such consent These kinde of questions therefore need not be determin'd by the City by way of interpretation of Scriptures for they belong not to Gods Word in that sense wherein the Word of God is taken for the Word concerning God that is to say for the Doctrine of the Gospell neither is he who hath the Soveraigne power in the Church oblig'd to employ any Ecclesiastical Doctours for the judging of any such kind of matters as these but for the deciding of questions of Faith that is to say concerning God which transcend humane capacity we stand in need of a divine blessing that we may not be deceiv'd at least in necessary points to be deriv'd from CHRIST himselfe by the imposition of hands For seeing to the end we may attaine to aeternal Salvation we are oblig'd to a supernatural Doctrine which therefore it lis impossible for us to understand to be left so destitute as that we can be deceiv'd in necessary points is repugnant to aequity This infallibility our Saviour Christ promis'd in those things which are necessary to Salvation to his Apostles untill the day of judgement that is to say to the Apostles and Pastors succeeding the Apostles who were to be consecrated by the imposition of hands He therefore who hath the Soveraigne power in the City is oblig'd as a Christian where there is any question concerning the Mysteries of Faith to interpret the Holy Scriptutes by Clergy-man lawfully ordain'd And thus in Christian Cities the judgement both of spirituall and temporall matters belongs unto the civill authority And that man or councell who hath the Supreme power is head both of the City and of the Church for a Church and a Christian City is but one thing CHAP. XVIII Concerning those things which are necessary for our entrance into the Kingdome of Heaven I. The difficulty propounded concerning the repugnancy of obeying God and Men is to be remov'd by the distinction betweene the points necessary and not necessary to Salvation II. All things necessary to Salvation are contain'd in Faith and Obedience III. What kind of Obedience that is which is requir'd of us IV. VVhat Faith is and how distinguisht from profession from science from opinion V. VVhat it is to beleeve in CHRIST VI. That that Article alone THAT JESVS IS THE CHRIST is necessary to Salvation is prov'd from the scope of the Evangelists VII From the preachings of the Apostles VIII From the easinesse of Christian Religion IX From this also that it is the foundation of Faith X. From the most evident words of CHRIST and his Apostles XI In that Article is contain'd the Faith of the Old Testament XII How Faith and Obedience concur to Salvation XIII In a Christian City there is no contradiction betweene the commands of God and of the City XIV The Doctrines which this day are controverted ab●●t Religion doe for the most part relate to the Right of Dominion I. IT was ever granted that all authority in secular matters deriv'd from him who had the Soveraigne power whether he were one Man or an Assembly of Men that the same in spirituall matters depended on the authority of the Church is manifest by the next foregoing proofs and besides this that all Christian Cities are Churches endu●d with this kind of authority From whence a man though but dull of apprehension may collect that in a Christian City that is to say in a City whose Soveraignty belongs to a Christian Prince o● Councell all power as well spiritual as secular is united under Christ and therefore it is to be obey'd in all things but on the other side because we must rather obey God then Men there is a difficulty risen how obedience may safely be yeelded to them if at any time somewhat should be commanded by them to be done which CHRIST hath prohibited The reason of this difficulty is that seeing God no longer speakes to us by CHRIST and his Prophets in open voice but by the holy Scriptures which by divers men are diversly understood they know indeed what Princes and a congregated Church doe command but whether that which they doe command be contrary to the word of God or not this they know not but with a wavering obedience between the punishments of temporall and spirituall death as it were sailing betweene Scilla and Cary●●is they often run themselves upon both But they who rightly distinguish betweene the things necessary to Salvation and those which are not necessary can have none of this kind of doubt for if the command of the Prince or City be such that he can obey it without hazard of his aeternnll Salvation it is unjust not to obey them and the Apostles praecepts take place Servants in all things obey your Masters according to the flesh Children obey your Parents in all things Col. 3. v. 20 22. And the command of CHRIST The Scribes and Pharisees sit in Moyses chair all things therefore whatsoever they command you that observe and doe Mat. 23. v. 2. On the contrary if they command us to doe those things which are punisht with aeternall death it were madnesse not rather to chuse to dye a naturall death then by obeying to dye eternally and then comes in that which CHRIST sayes Feare not them who kill the body but cannot kill the Soule Mat. 10. v. 28. We must see therefore what all those things are which are necessary to Salvation II. Now all things necessary to Salvation are comprehended in two vertues Faith and Obedience The latter of these if it could be perfect would alone suffice to preserve us from damnation but because we have all of us beene long since guilty of disobedience against God in Adam and besides we our selves have since actually sinned Obedience is not sufficient without remission of sinnes but this together with our entrance into the Kingdome of Heaven is the reward of Faith nothing else is requisite to Salvation for the Kingdome of Heaven is shut to none but sinners that is to say those who have not perform'd due Obedience to the Lawes and not to those neither if they beleeve the necessary articles of the Christian Faith Now if we shall know in what points Obedience doth consist and which are the necessary articles of the Christian Faith it will at once be manifest what we must doe and what abstaine from at the commands of Cities and of Princes III. But by Obedience in this

for a Par●… because we suppose Justice Obedience and a mind reformed in all manner of vertues to be contained in it so when I say that the Faith of one Article i● sufficient 〈◊〉 salvation it may well be lesse wondred at seeing that in it so many other Articles are contained for these words Jesus is the Christ do signifie that Jesus was that Person whom God bad promised by his Prophets should come into the world to establish his Kingdom that is to say that Jesus is the Sonne of God the Creatour of Heaven and Earth born of a Virgin dying for the sinnes of them who should beleeve in Him that He● was Christ that is to say a King that He reviv'd for else He were not like to reign to judge the world and to reward every one according to his works for otherwise he cannot be a King also that men shall rise again for otherwise they are not like to come to judgement The whole Symbol of the Apostles is therefore contained in this one Article which notwithstanding I thought reasonable to contract thus because I found that many men for this alone without the rest were admitted into the Kingdome of God both by Christ and his Apostles as the Thief on the Crosse the Eu●uch baptized by Philip the two thousand men converted to the Church at once by Saint Peter But if any man be displeased that I doe not judge all those eternally damned who doe not inwardly assent to every Article defined by the Church and yet doe not contradict but if they be commanded doe submit I know not what I shall say to them for the most evident Testimonies of Holy Writ which doe follow doe wit●●old me from altering my opinion VII Secondly this is proved by the preaching of the Apostles For they were the Proclamers of his Kingdome neither did Christ send them to preach ought but the Kingdome of God Luke 9. vers 2. Act. 15. vers 6. And what they did after Christ his As●●n●●on may be understood by the accusation which was brought against them They drew Jason sa●… Saint Luke and certain Brethren unto the Rulers of the City ●rying These are th● men that have turned the world upside down and are come hither also whom Jason hath received and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar saying that there is another King one Jesus Acts 17. vers 6 7. It appears also what the subject of the Apostles Sermons was out of these words Opening and alleadging out of the Scriptures to wit of the old Testament that Christ must needs have suffered and risen again from the dead and that THIS JESUS IS THE CHRIST Acts 17. vers 2 3. VIII Thirdly By the places in which the easinesse of those thing● which are required by Christ to the attaining of salvation is declared For if an internall assent of the minde were necessarily required to the truth of all and each Proposition which this day is controverted about the Christian Faith or by divers Churches is diversly defined there would be nothing more difficult then the Christian Religion and how then would that be true My yoke is easie and my burthen light Mat. 11. vers 30. and that litle ones doe beleeve in Him Mat. 18. vers 6. and that it pleased God by the foolishnesse of Preaching to save those that beleeve 1 Cor. 1. vers 21. or how was the thiefe hanging on the Crosse sufficiently instructed to salvation The confession of whose Faith was contained in these words Lord remember me when thou comest into thy Kingdome or how could Saint Paul himselfe from an enemy so soon become a Doctor of Christians IX Foutthly by this that that Article is the foundation of Faith neither rests it on any other foundation If any man shall say unto you Loe here is Christ or He is there beleeve it ●ot for there shall arise false Christs and false Prophets and shall shew great signes and wonders c. Mat. 24. vers 23. Whence it followes that for the Faiths sake which we have in this Article we must not beleeve any signes and wonders Although we or an Augell from Heaven saith the Apostle should preach to you any other Gospel then what we have preacht let him be accursed Gal. 1. 8. By reason of this Article therefore we might not trust the very Apostles and Angels themselves and therefore I conceive not the Church neither if they should teach the contrary Beloved beleeve not every spirit but try the spirits whether they are of God because many false Prophets are gone out into the world hereby know yee the spirit of God every spirit that confesseth Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God c. 1 John 4. vers 1 2. That Article therefore is the measure of the Spitits whereby the authority of the Doctors is either received or rejected It cannot be denied indeed but that all who at this day are Christians did learn from the Doctors that it was Jesus who did all those things whereby he might be acknowledged to be the Christ yet it followes not that the same Persons beleeved that Article for the Doctors or the Churches but for Jesus his own sake for that Article was before the Christian Church although all the rest were after it and the Church was founded upon it not it upon the Church Mat. 16. vers 18. Besides this Article that Jesus is the Christ is so fundamentall that all the rest are by Saint Paul said to be built upon it For other foundation can no man lay then that which is layd which is Jesus Christ that is to say that Jesus is the Christ now if any man build upon this foundation gold silver precious stone wood hay stubble every mans work shall be made manifest if a●y mans work abide which he hath built thereupon he shall receive a reward if any mans work shall be bu●nt he shall suffer losse ●ut he himselfe shall be sa●ed 1 Cor. 3 vers 11 12 13. c. From whence it plainly appears that by foundation is understood this Article THAT JESUS IS THE CHRIST For gold and silver precious stones wood hay stubble whereby the Doctrines are signified are not built upon the Person of Christ and also that false Doctrines may be raised upon this foundation yet not so as they must necessarily be damned who teach them X. Lastly that this Article alone is needfull to he inwardly beleeved may be most evidently proved out of many places of holy Scriptures let who will be the Interpreter Search the Scriptures for in them yee think yee have eternall life and they are they which testify of me John 5. 39. But Christ meant the Scriptures of the old Testament only for the new was then not yet written Now there is no other testimony concerning Christ in the old Testament but that an eternall King was to come in such a place that He was to be born of such Parents