God so that my work is to let others see the light wherein Scripture shews it self 2. I do not in this undertaking charge Papists as denying in terms the Scripture to be Divinely inspired For they grant it in a sort when they say The Churches Testimony makes it not Authentical and Canonical in it self but quoad nos in respect to us who cannot otherwise be ascertained of its Divine authority 3. I hope it will not be expected from me that I shall prove the Divine authority of Scripture so as to silence all Gain-sayers since nothing can be so proved as there will not be some to make exceptions What can be more certain then Gods Existence And yet how many are there who deny or question i. Christ came a Light into the World and what Christian dare say or think he did not sufficiently prove himself to be what he was the promised Messias yet all he could say or do for that purpose was not enough to satisfie the most of his Country-men and Kinred that he was the Lords Christ. All that I can reasonably design is to shew that Scripture is a shining Light that doth sufficiently prove it self to be inspired of God though many have not eyes to see it 4. It must be supposed in this Discourse that as there is one living and true God so this God is to be honoured and adored by his reasonable Creatures with that service and worship which may become his infinite and most excellent Majesty Hence it cannot be denyed that there must be some Revelation made by God himself concerning that way of worship wherein he will have his Creatures to serve him For who can know what pleases God but he himself and they to whom he makes known the good pleasure of his will Now supposing some Revelation of Gods will in order to that service which he will accept and be well pleased with I may ask this Question viz. If Scripture be not this Revelation where is it And this will lie hard upon all who acknowledge one only true God that made Heaven and Earth to shew some other and better manifestation concerning the will and wayes of God then what he hath made in his written word But this is to be discuss'd hereafter and for the present I am to shew how and wherein Scripture speaks it self the word of God and by consequence the Rule of Faith Rational Grounds upon which Protestants are perswaded that Scripture is Divinely inspired 1. THere is nothing which doth so fully and clearly so punctually and perfectly declare the mind of God in all particulars which concern his Glory or mans everlasting happiness as Scripture doth To enforce this a little we readily grant the law of Nature to be a light shewing us somewhat yea very much of God and concerning our Duty towards him But how imperfect and obscure is this light in comparison of that which shines out to us in Scripture Scripture indeed doth not contradict it How should it Both are of God and one Truth cannot possibly contradict another Nay further as Scripture consents to and concurs with the light of Nature so it reproves the neglect and incites to a due improvement of it as might be shew'd in many particulars if we were put to it But how dim and dark is Natures light as to the way of reconciling the world unto God when it teaches nothing at all about it The Heathens had their Offerings and Sacrifices to appease their Gods and in these for ought any can say to the contrary they had light from Gods people who had the Divine Oracles But all those Offerings of theirs were lying vanities because they had not any the least apprebensions of God manifested in the flesh to be a Saviour of sinners And what revelation hath God made of his mind about this great concernment besides what we have in Scripture did ever any of the Learned Heathens so much as dream of such a work as Gods reconciling the world to himself by Jesus Christ And yet Papists I hope will acknowledge with us that he alone is the Mediatour of propitiation between God and man Now how came we and they to know this great mysterie if we learnt it not from Scripture And could any but God reveal it to us And since it is revealed in Scripture have we not reason to believe that it was written by the finger of God For the only way of purging sin and sanctifying our sinfull natures what have any Heathens done by their utmost improvement of their natural light They have indeed many of them commended vertue to the skies and exhorted others to it But what is that moral excellency and perfection which the Philosophers and learned men of the world have laboured to promote amongst men Is it not of a far inferiour nature and quite another thing from that true holiness which is taught in Scripture For this I refer the Reader to a learned Discourse of the Divine authority of Scripture not long since printed and only say though many Heathens by their natural light discovered many vices to shun the practise of them and were sober just and temperate in comparison of others yet all this moral righteousness in them was far short of Gods image and the Divine nature in those who are renewed by the Holy Ghost and as different as a living man and his statue or picture though drawn as we say to the life And to prove this I shall only say That true holiness consists especially in the inward impressions and dispositions which make a man meet for communion with God and in the inclinations and carriages of the soul towards God immediately such as meet Moralists never knew There 's a fountain and root within from whence springs all that honesty and integrity and purity which appears in the outward conversation and all is from a mans being ingrafted into Christ and receiving from him a continual supply of his Spirit And this I hope Papists will not deny viz. That all spiritual good is wrought in us by the Spirit of God Now this way of holiness being taught us in Scripture we conclude Scripture to be written with Gods finger because no other then God could reveal such glorious truths to us Let it be shew'd us how these things came to be written where we find them and who wrote them if God did not Once we think it a rational and unquestionable conclusion That Scripture is given by inspiration of God because we find in it the only way of our access to and acceptance with God and the only way of Purifying us so as we may be meet for communion with him for ever And why Even because God alone could teach us these things which the hearts of men or Angels otherwise could never have conceiv'd All this while we grant that these things were revealed to some men before they were recorded in the written word But we expect Papists will not send us
shall we be sure of this or that Translation Sol. We grant that some have erred and any may unless there were an infallible Spirit to aâ—…st What is this to us who maintain not this or that Translation but the Scriptures well and faithfully translated to be the Rule of Faith True our Translations have been altered but this alteration hath been in words more then matter And one and the same sence may be expressed divers wayes So we may have different Translations without any error in the matter and Doctrine Nay further what if one Translation should differ from another in sence we are not therefore bound to quit our English Bibles unless it did appear that we have not in them the matter and substance of all Châ—…istian Doctrine And here we require it be shewed and proved that our various Translations do not all agree exactly so far as we have in them all the Articles of Christian Faith which are necessary to be known and believed in order to our happiness The differences in all our Translations are not such or so many as that we should need the Churches authority to assure and settle us For God openeth the hearts of his people to know his voice from others whiles the light of Divine truth gives testimony to it self and receives authority from no other as the Sun is seen by its own light and as we discern sweet from sowre by its own tast However as a learned man hath said we deny not that there are divers means whereby our consciences may be assured Some private as skill in tongues learning labour prayer conference c. Some publick as the ministry which act of the Church is not authority to secure but ministry to shew us that which shall secure us which ministry is founded on the Scripture it self in that from thence it fetcheth the Reasons that may pâ—…rswade us and shâ—…weth the light that doth infallibly assure us And the difference between these two is this That the Spirit is an inward means the teaching of the Church an outward The Spirit Secureth us by kis own authority the Church directeth us by her ministry The Spirit hath light in it self the Church borroweth hers from the Scripture For certain God never since his people had his Laws written to them hath left them without a ministry and this is the great work of that ministry to cause the people to understand the Laws of God And how this can be done amongst our vulgar unless by translating the Scripture let them shew that can for we cannot Whereas our Adversaries take occasion hence to quarrel Scripture as no competent Rule of faith because the unlearned vulgar want a Rule and can have no other then a Bible translated which is liable to many and great mistakes we may justly question them about their Translations For they know there is a Latine Translation not the Original for certain which is with them commended as authentical to say no more Only we desire them first to answer for themselves However we may justly marvel that they send us to Tradition for our assurance about Translations seeing our present English Translations are of no such antient date as we need to enquire much what our Fathers thought of them They are best known and discerned by those who best understand the Originals and have the most helps and means which God hath allowed for such a work as Translating the Scriptures And for these we may without ostentation say that we have as good and as many as they have and the Translations we have are approved of by our Church though not by theirs If the Papists would or could prove that the Scriptures ought not to be translated at all or else help us to a Translation absolutely answerable to the Originals and give us good security for it they should do both us and themselves a good piece of service But there is an absolute necessity of Translations unless we knew of any extraordinary and miraculous way of bringing our people to understand the will of God in his written Word And what then is to be done or what can we do in order to the salvation of poor souls There are some perhaps who can resolve this otherwise then we dare and say Let them alone to be as ignorant as may be and believe only as the Church believes right or wrong But for our part we are of the mind that our people will never grope out the way to Heaven while they are blindfolded nor can we be perswaded that ignorance is the mother of devotion though we know it is the mother of superstition God 〈◊〉 mâ—…n from darkness uâ—…to light when he turns them from the power of Satan 〈◊〉 himself Act. 26. 18 and why came our Saviour a lighâ—… into the world if we may go to Heaven as blind as we are born what have we to do while we are here â—…pon earth more then to get grace and knowledge and grow in it more and more Heaven is called the inheritance of the Saints in light and Hell is called utter darkness To say no more of this we have the Scriptures translated into English because the greatest number of our people whose souls are as precious as others cannot otherwise understand them without a miracle And we use the best means we have left us to make our people know Gods mind and will in 〈◊〉 written Word And for Tradition we know no use of it unless iâ—… be fiâ—…st resolved beyond all exception that we must believe as the Church believes whatever the Scripture saith What hath been said already in answer to the former Queries may serve in part for the 〈◊〉 hand last Qâ—…ery about the sence and interpretation of Scripture However we shall say what we thâ—…nk about the letter of Scripture not senc'd and to be senc'd Now the sence of 〈◊〉 that Scripture hath words and 〈◊〉 is the Rule of faith and they read it as any mâ—…n reads his friends or correspondents letters to know his mind in them or as Factouâ—…s beyond sea come to know their Merchants orders given them in and by their letters Sometimes a difference arises amongst these and â—…hen what can a Factour do to clear himself more then to produce his Merchants leâ—…ters and say Here is the order you gave me and I have followed it so do we when we are questioned about our faith we know no other answer but this that we have orders given us in Scripture to believe so and so and not otherwise We cannot in this case abstract the leâ—…ter from the sence Scholars indeed in their contemplations may make such abstractions But what have we to do with them in practical use or about moral actions for in such cases we must as all sober men do take words and sence together Words and letters as far as we ever learnt serve only to signifiâ—… mens sence and meaning And so doth the letter of Scripture signifie Gods mind
2. Cor. 5. 14. That the love of Christ constraineth us Such and so great are the manifestations which he hath made of himself and his love to our Souls as we can never be thankfull as we ought but in a full and absolute resignation of our selves and all we have to his service and glory 2. I advise yet farâ—…her that in our greatest inlargements we walk humbly with God as knowing that his power alone is all the strength whereby we are enabled to stand Peters preâ—…umptuous confidence in his own strength wrought nothing but repentance for his sainting in an evil day By his own strength shall no man prevail And therefore the Apostle exhorts to be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might Eph. 6. 10. and to put on the whole armour of God that we may be able to stand against the wiles of the Devil v II. It is God alone that keeps the feet of his Saints 1 Sam. 2. 9. There need no motives I hope to perswade However consider 1. What we have believed Not cunningly devised fables but a sure Word of Prophecy such as the Apostle seems to prefer if the comparative be senc'd according to the letter before visions and immediate Revelations Or he might so call them because the Prophecies might be more sure to the godly Jews through long use and acquaintance We know the Jews at Berea examined Pauls doctrine by the Scriptures and are not taxed but commended for it And if an Angel from heaven should preach any other doctrine then what we have in Scripture we have no reason to believe it Those blessed Spirits indeed never did it nor ever will But we make the supposition which the Apostle doth Gal. 1. for the more Emphasis For Scripture-truths they are of long standing and approved by their abiding the test and triall of so many ages Christ and his Apostles made the old Testament the Standard of their doctrine and appealed to it for the proof of all they preacht to the people Moses and the Prophets are more to be heeded then if a man rose from the dead Luk. 16. 31. And they who hear not the one will never regard the other if our Saviour said true Was it ever heard that any doctrine so much as pretended to Scriptures antiquity Or is it possible that any thing but certain truth should outstand the siftings and winnowings of so many ages specially when it hath had so many professed enemies Shall we now call in question what was never questioned before Have not all Christians who deserved that name unanimously agreed in believing the faith and truth delivered in Scripture or do Protestants now believe any thing that was not believed by all Saints ever since any part of Scripture was penned we believe on the Son of God who gave himself a ransome for all And this Doctrine we have in Mosâ—…s who was the first penman of Scripture and as our Saviour saith wrote of him Must we now call in question all that Moses and the Prophets and the Apostles have written yea and cry it down as no Rule of faith then farewell all our Christianity and the Christian Religion at once For where have we learnt all the mystery of godliness God manifested in the flesh justified in the spirit c. 1 Tim. 3. fin Who or what hath given us to know what have been all the Transactions of God with the sons of men in order to eternal life from the beginning Will our Adversaries say roundly once for all that the doctrine of Scripture is not the doctrine of Christ Let them speak out if they have a mind to say so and then we know what to answer them But if they will not avow this as indeed they have not yet in plain terms we have this to say for our selves that we believe what they deny not to be the truth of God and the doctrine of Christ. That we cannot be assured of this otherwise then by Tradition hath been already answered and no more needs to be said about it For mens Tradition we know it will serve nothing better to usher in and establish mens Inventions But shall we renounce our own Reason so far as to appeal to men who are all lyars for the truth of what is spoken by him that cannot lye Oh! consider and remember that in believing Scripture we believe not Prophecies or Prodigies not heard of till yesterday No we believe the everlasting Gospel and the good old way to rest and peace The very doctrine of practical godliness and moral righteousness taught us in Scripture is such as we cannot but assent unto it as agreeing with and approved by our natural light so as we must forfeit out Reason ere we can be perswaded to question Scriptures authority Read but the Prophets and the Psalms and the Proverbs and Pauls Epistles or other parts of Scripture and consider the precepts of sobriety temperance righteousness justice and truth which are there so many and will not our consciences say these are all of God and we know they are Divine by the natural light which is in us Who could have cleared up the inbred notions and impressions that are upon all mens hearts so as they are cleared in Scripture but that light in which alone we see light for the mysterie of Godliness we know it is altogether of supernatural Divine Revelation and being such what need is there or can there be of any mens or Churches authority to confirm it To say no more let Reason judge and determine whether the faith of men can authoritatively confirm the faith of God And yet it must if we cannot be ascertained of the one without the other yea and our faith in Gods testimony must be resolved into the testimony of men as yielding to us the greatest certainty beyond all doubt or question Consider I say what we have believed viz. the antient yea eternal Word of the everliving God and this Word alwayes one and the same as God is only at sundry times and in divers manners it was spoken to the Fathers by the Prophets and in these last times to us by the Son himself and such as he hath sent 2. Consider that in believing the testimony of God in his written Word we believe and receive the faith of our Forefathers who suffered for their close adhering to Scriptures doctrine and could not be parted from it but rather chose to part with their lives for it And herein they approved themselves the genuine and kindly issue of all the antient Martyrs who loved not their lives unto the death for the testimony of Jesus We should too much wrong our selves and the cause of Christian Religion to yield that which our Adversaries will never be able by dint of argument to force from us viz. That we are upstarts newly sâ—…rung out of the ashes of our late Reformers They were as we call them Reformers that repaired the desolations which
it much rather then aâ—…y thing else Hence it is that we care so little sor Tradition because it is the testimony of men For we have no faith to save us but faith in God and know not how we can have faith in God but by receiving the Testimony which he himself hath given When Papists attribute so much to Tradition for ascertaining Scripture we cannot yield to them in it because we believe that God so speaks to men as they may know that it is he that speaks If he do not it is because he will not or because he cannot That he cannot no man can say without blasphemy To say he will not is little better For he hath not spoken in secret but openly and plainly so as they to whom he hath spoken have known certainly it was the Lord that spake to them And this is indeed the Spirit of Prophecy not only to declâ—…re the will and minde of God but to ascertain those unto whom it was declared that it was so And such is Scripture vz. a Revelation of Gods will so made as men may know that God hath spoken Wherefore though Papists say of Scripture as the Jews said of our Saviour Thou bearest record of thy self thy record is not true We answer as Christ answered for himself Though it bear record of it self yet its record is true For as it was the will of God that men should understand his mind so he spake in such a manner as they might know it was God that spake and not man or any creature For what can be said or thought more unworthy of God then that he hath spoken to men but in such a manner as he cannot be understood unless there be some other to ascertain them it is he that speaks we can speak to one another either by word or writing so as to know who speaks as well as what is spoken But God it seems to Papists must have some others to pass their word for him before he can have any credit with men And what is it that must ascertain us beyond all further question that Scripture is the very Word of God Only Tradition or the Testimony of the Church in all ages successively conveying down the faith once delivered by Christ and his Apostles For the satisfaction of those who need or desire it we shall inlarge in our answer yet not to exceed the bounds of our intended breviy 1. We acknowledge That the Church is bound to give testimony to Scripture as the Word of God and that the true Church hath so done in all ages we Protestants do believe But we say withall that the Church is only an outward instrument or means in giving this testimony and hath no authority such as Papists plead for or dominion over our faith We are so far from making it the Rule of faith as we stand to affirm we do not beâ—…ieve the Scripture because the Church saith it is the Word of God but we believe it such for its own and the Spirits testimony though no men bear witness to it For what is the Church make the best of it but a company of men more or less that believe the doctrine of Christ And where had these men this doctrine Or how came then by it Had they it not in Scripture Christ indeed delivered it by word of mouth and by his Spirit to his Apostles and they preached this doctrine But I hope Papists will not say That the new Testament was not penned by the Evangelists and Apostles or that the next Church received any doctrine other then is therein recorded so we are come to the very foundation of the Church such as is mentioned Ephes. 2. 20. The Church is founded upon Scripture and not Scripture upon the Church Indeed a Church is nothing but a company of men that believe Scripture and make it the ground work of their Faith And so is it distinguished from all other societies The Church did not make or frame the Scripture but received it made ready to their hands God had his Secretaries who wrote his wills and commands and to the obedience of these men have been called and such as submitted and came in have been the Church in all ages Hence the Church we say hath more need of Scriptures testimony then Scripture hath of the Churches and accordingly Protestants judge of the Church by Scripture and not of Scripture by the Church Questionless when God shall judge all by the Man whom he hath appointed he will try all Churches and men by his own Laws And where those Laws are we leave Papists to enquire For we know none but such as we find in Scripture They tell us a very fair tale of the infallibility of Tradition How impossible it is that the first Church which received the doctrine of Christ from the Apostles could be so unnatural as wittingly to hide it from posterity and deliver over to the next generation such lyes as would unavoidably damn them Now we suppose as well as they that all Parents and Progenitors have so much natural affection as not to procure willingly or wittingly the damnation of their Children But this will not prove say we Tradition to be so infallible as they would have it For Tradition or delivering any matter from hand to hand by word of mouth is and must be uncertain yea and soon fail if there be not some Records whereupon to bottom it And for this we desire them to consider That though in the first ages God was pleased to let his will be made known from Father to Son after he had once declared and revealed it yet God did not leave all to Tradition but ever and anon renewed the Revelations of his will as occasion required And this he did when those Patriarchs lived ten times so long as any have ordinarily lived for very many ages And when afterwards Abrahams seed was grown into a multitude it seemed good to the wisdom of God to have the lively Oracles enrolled and committed to writing Hence we think it rational to conclude that God thought his will written to be more infallible and certain then as delivered by word of mouth from hand to hand Once we are sure That whiles the mind of God was delivered without writing it all the world was corrupted so as all flesh had perverted their way in the times of Noah They had all of them at first the doctrine which God revealed to Adam and how came they to be corrupted as they were if Tradition cannot possibly fail Or how came the world after the Flood to be filled with Idols so as Abraham must be called out from the posterity of Shem whose posterity had the true Religion delivered to them If Tradition be so faithfull in the delivery of what is committed to it we wonder how true Religion should fail so soon and that not among a few but all the world over When it is said That some Hereticks have risen
it was in the Apostles time We have said enough to shew how Tradition which they so much commend and magnifie may fail and so prove no infallible Testimony And who were our Forefathers from whom we learnt our faith we have shewed already and now shall name some of them viz. The Reformers in the last ages and Jo. Hu and Hiâ—…rome of Prague and before them Wickliff and before him the Waldenses and all that protested against the Churches corruptions in all ages upward as might be shewed if it were pertinent Jo. Whites Way p. 336. § 45. 337. Digress 48. 2. Tradition being the Testimony of the Church let Papists first ascertain us which is the true Church whose Testimony we must believe For our parts we know none upon earth that pretend to Christianity that do not account themselves the true Church and that avow not themselves to have the true faith which the Apostles delivered Now there being so many pretenders we are at as great a loss wich Tradition as without it since all say they hold the Apostolick faith and yet extreamly differ one from another not in few matters or small at least some of them And it is said and granted on all hands that there are dissenters and of these some are ignorant and some obstinate and some Scepticks and we know too many professing Christians who are in their wayes and doings no better then Infidels Now may not any or all of these question Tradition as well as Scripture upon this pretence that they know not which is the Church whose Testimony they are obliged to believe If it be said as it hath been by some that there is no Christian but knows the Church It may be justly replyed that there is no Christian but knows the Scripture as well For all that own not Scripture we may justly disown them as being no Christians A man may be a Christian it is confessed though he never saw a Bible if he have heard the doctrine of Christ as many Gentiles yea all for ought I know did in the first times of the Church when the Gospel was first preached to them by the Apostles But to be a Christian and not know the doctrine of Christ is a pure contradiction Now how we shall know which Church gives the truest testimony to the doctrine of Christ if not by Scripture let Papists resolve us for we know not what to answer We think among so many pretenders there will be differences such as â—â—â—â—adition will no better reconcile then Scripture and that as Protestants cannot agree about the sense of Scripture but some interpret it one way and some another so they and others will agree no better about the Church and its Tradition For as I have said there are many Churches and those hugely differing in some things and yet all pretend to the Apostolick faith Therefore we have need of somewhat to ascertain us of that Church which hath preserved and delivered down all along the same faith which the Apostles taught For the true Catholick Church we believe it hath been faithfull in its testimony to the truth in all ages But we Protestants cannot own the Church of Rome as such though we know there was there one sound part of the Catholick Church in the Apostles times Papists indeed pretend and boast great things of their Church but what is that to us who can well distinguish between a Roman-Catholick and a Catholick Christian. Here then we Protestants resolve to believe the Church for the Scripture and not the Scripture for the Church And yet we allow what that ancient Father saith of himself That he had not believed Scripture but for the Church For we know that after he came once to learn the Scriptures he then believed it not upon account of the Churches authority but it s own only The Church we grant may at first perswade Infidels to attend and heed the Scripture as the Word of God even as the woman perswaded her neighbours to come and see Christ. But as they when they had heard him themselves believed not because of her saying but because of his own word even so is â—…in the case that now is in question The Church of Christ hath the office of ministry to hold out the light that others who are in darkeness may see it But this will never prove the Church to have such an authority as Papists plead for and much less that their Church is the Catholick Church which only holds the Apostolick faith And when they have said all they can they say no more then any Church never so corrupt will say for it self viz. That it hath the doctrine of Christ which the Apostles taught Hence we say again that Tradition leaves us at an irrecoverable loss and that we must have somewhat more certain then the Churches testimony which any company of never so corrupt principles may pretend unto as well as the Church of Rome 3. We desire to be satisfied whether the doctrine delivered down be true because the Church hath delivered it or that the Church hath delivered it because it is the truth For we think the Church ought to receive and believe the truth only and to deliver that and nothing else to be believed by others and if it received other then the truth it was deceived and if it delivered other it was not only deceived but deceived others also The Church can make nothing to be true but what is such before of it self and all it can do is to declare the truth which it hath received and perswade others to believe it Therefore when Papists press us as they do about our being assured of Scripture we say that we believe it upon account of its own authority because it speaks it self the Word of God For as when a place of trust and honor is conferred upon a person by his Prince and assured to him under the Great Seal though the messenger that brings the Patent may avow it to be the Princes act yet that which gives assurance to the person of his interest in that office and honour is the Patent it self and the Seal annext So we know the voice of God speaking to us in his Word and even so hath the true Church in all ages received Scripture as the true Word of God and commended it to others for such as a Patent sealed from Heaven 4. We desire to know when the Church first resolved the Case in Question and determined what is the doctrine of Christ. For the 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 Councils we count them of a latter date and but of yesterday in comparison For our part we think under correction of better judgments that the Canon was agreed upon very early because two eminent ones among the Ancients â—…counted upon the same number of Canonical Books which we now do and one of them saith that the Canonicall authority of the old and new Testament was confirmed in the Apostles times And that
it was so agreed very early we have reason to think because Coâ—…stantine in the first Nicene Council would not else have perswaded the Fathers assembled to examine and try all questions and controversies by the Canon of Scripture For had it been otherwise it had been rational to move them first to resolve what the Canon was Once we know the Christian Church had need to be resolved of a Rule of faith even from the beginning at least so soon as the Apostles had departed this life For if any thing surely this is of concernment to the Church viz. To have the Rule of faith stated as the standard whereby all doctrines are to be weighed and measured And this we think was done even from the Apostles times and that upon the determination which they had made so as there was no such Question of old about the Rule of faith such as Papists have made of late That some have questioned the authority of some Books of the New Testament we know but we say they were only some and not the whole Church Besides to question the authority of some few Books is not to question the authority of the whole Scripture And indeed this question was never made till of latter times when Papists could no more defend their Tenets by this Rule of faith 5. We would know how the Church came to know all the mysteries of Christian Religion And this we have reason to question because Papists make so much of the Churches Testimony as if Scripture had no authority as to us at least without it Whatâ—… did the Church devise the whole model of the Christian faith out of her own heart No certainly this will never be said by any that are sober What then Questionless she was taught it of God and in this I hope we all agree Well And how was she taught it was it not by the Revelation of Jesus Christ And where is this Revelation if it be not in Scripture But I proceed and say the Christian Church learnt the doctrine of Christ from Scripture the Spirit working with the Word For the Apostles did not in preaching the Gospel bring to light what had never been heard of or thought on before But they only declared to the world the performance of what God had foretold and promised in the old Testament concerning his Son made of a woman and made under the Law when once the fulness of time was come And so the Apostle avows Acts 26. 22. that his doctrine was no other then what Moses and the Prophets had signified before And did not Christ come to fulfill the promises made to the Fathers which promises were recorded in the old Testament Yea and Christ himself expounded the Scriptures concerning himself Lukâ—… 24. 27. And vers 25. he up 〈◊〉 he two Disciples with their not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 what the Prophets had spoken 〈◊〉 iâ—… the Church in all ages 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 themselves knew the 〈◊〉 of Christ by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there is enough to shew us 〈◊〉 is the only Rule of faith Once 〈◊〉 If Scripture be not the Rule 〈◊〉 let Papists tell us what it serve â—…or Truly we are so ignorant as if it be not the Rule of our faith we know no use of it And if that be granted which our Adversaries plead for why may we not hearken to the Church and her Tradition and never look on Scripture more For they have of late framed a Rule of faith that is all-sufficient and tell us plainly Scripture is not so Surely if we thus let go the Word and take up Tradition we had best let God go also and content our selves with the Church But there are some Questions to be answered and till this be done we talk to no purpose whatever we say of Scripture or against Tradition For how know we 1. Whether the Originals be entire and the same with those which were first ponned by the Prophets and Apostles 2. What Books of Scripture are Canonical and what not 3. Whether the Originals are rightly translated into the English and other vulgar languages 4. Whether they are truly senâ—…'d and interpreted c. and what not These and such like are pressed upon us to enervate the sorce of Scriptures authority and prove it no Rule of faith For the Rule of faith say Papists must be easie to be understood of all and it must evidence it self so as we may be ascertained of it that it is the Word of God and how can the vulgar be sure of this when the wisest and most learned are not well agreed about it What shall become of the unlearned and such as make any doubts about these things And there are many such whereof some are Rational and others Sceptical and others no question are Atheistical to an high degree To all these we count our selves bound to answer and our answer in general is I. That if Scripture were never so plain and certain there will be some doubters and dissenters and enemies to it also There are too many who question and some who deny the Existence of God Is there no certainty therefore of Gods Existence Or hath not God sufficiently shewed himself to be known as he is so did Christ give evidence enough of himself though the blind Pharisee could nor or rather would not see him to be what he was We know there are many in the world who are dissenters to the Rules of common honesty and righteousness and yet they are plain enough and Papists I am confident think so It is abundantly sufficient if Scripture prove it self so far as all honest sober and uninterested persons may be satisfied These I am sure will be contented with such proofs as the matter in question will bear And who that is reasonable will expect arguments in this case to prove more then a moral certainty alwayes excepting that inward assurance which a gracious soul hath by the seal of Gods Spirit 2. We answer That the Rule may be easie though all men do not understand it And such is Scripture easie we say to be understood by all that will use means for that end What! do our Adversaries think it may be known by dreaming of it or shall we think that God hath not sufficiently provided for our souls because we cannot come to the knowledge of the Truth and Salvation by it without pains-taking This is to say no more unreasonable What can be learnt without using means and taking pains 3. We may justly look on these Queries about Scripture as if a man should ask another How do you know light from darkness white from black sowre from sweet For Scripture gives as clear a discovery of it self as things white and black sowre and sweet shew their taste and colour But I shall endeavour to answer particulars as they lye in order To the first Question about the Originals we answer 1. That we know them to be entire and not defective and the same with those that
were penned by the Prophets and Apostles as well as any such thing can be known These Records are very ancient some of them of some thousand years standing And must we now prove every particular as if we had been eye-witnesses Is it not enough if we have more certainty of these then can be had of any others that bear the same date or somewhat near Not to say that that this Question seems to strike at the force of all ancient Records and evidences For it may be said by any concerned How are we sure that these are the Authentick Copies or transcribed exactly to a letter 2. We are certainly assured in this Case as well as they that question us seeing they pretend only to Tradition for their Security and we know no certainty of that more then of Scripture 3. We know the Original Old Testament by the consent of our Bibles and those which the Jews preserve to this day as we think by a speciall providence What better evidence can there be in such a case then this They had the honour to have the lively Oracles committed to them and we never heard they could be justly blamed for being â—…alse to their trust thus far And these Infidels still retain the old Testament as it was though the Christians make use of it to justifie the Christian faith against them And if they had attempted any alteration they could never have effected it as was shewed before Now while their Copies and ours agree so well together as we have no difference with them about this have we not good reason to perswade our selves that our Original Bibles are as at first 4. We know it by as good evidences as our Adversaries know it viz. by the consent of all Ages bearing witness to it We do not indeed plead the authority of the Churches Testimony as Papists do nor have we need seeing the Testimony may be valid through its truth without any such authority We give as much as we ought to the Church when we say it hath been all along an external instrument or Medium to declare and testifiâ—… concerning the doctrine of Christ in Scripture And so it hath testified the Originals to be as at first I have yet more to say for clearing this Question only I must needs insert that we cannot think our selves so fairly dealt withall in such a question For we lay our claim by prescription and therefore think our adversaries should rather prove the contrary by undeniable arguments then pick quarrels with us by captious questions such as they can no better answer then we But we know the design and shall say no more of it 5. It is enough if the Originals be in the matter and substance of them the same as at first That they may have some alterations as to letters or words in the transcribing and printing of them who questions since the Transcribers and Printers had no infallible Spirit that we ever heard of But this being granted we have no cause to doubt Scriptures authority any whit the more What though no Original Copie now extant be so absolutely pure as no mixture can possibly be found in it as to words and letters yet Scripture ceases not to be a sufficient Rule so long as there is in it no violation mutilation or falsification through the ignorance negligence or malice of men as disables it for teaching all men what to believe and do in order to their salvation For this is it which we contend for That all the doctrine of Christ necessary to be known unto salvation we have in our present Bibles and this doctrine the very same that was delivered by the Prophets and Apostles It lies still however on our adversaries to prove any alteration so much as in any words Hence we say further that Books made of inke and parchment or paper are things that are perishable yea and will come to nothing But dare Papists say that God hath not given his Laws in writing dare they say that there never was such a man as Moses who at Gods command delivered a Law to Israel and after it was written caused it to be read in the audience of all the people or dare they say there never were such men as the Prophets and Apostles and that they never wrote any such Books as are now called the holy Scriptures We do not know and therefore dare not say that they have hiâ—…herto said any such thing and we have so much charity as to believe they will never say it What mean they then by such quirks and quibles as these viz. That we cannot be assured now that the Scriptures are not altered from what they were at first c. What thoughts have they of God Almighty was he not wise enough to foresee what might be objected in after times so as to provide against it and prevent all such questions as they now make about the written word This we know and they too that the only wise God thought it best to have the lively Oracles committed to writing though he could not but know that in process of time there might be some alteration in those writings and that the outside materials as parchment c. are such as wast and wear out Yea this way of writing was as I may say consecrated at first by the finger of God who wrote the ten Commandments in two Tâ—…bles of sione And those two tables were soon broken and the others afterwards prepared at Gods command and kept along time are yet long since gone so as none can give any account of them Notwithstanding we are not to seek of the Ten Commandments nor we hope will any say these are not the same that God wrote at first or we cannot be sure that they are so Alas to argue in this manner is to bring Heaven and Earth together Then farewell all the credit of all ancient Records that ever have been preserved in the World Yea then let the Scriptures which are the most ancient Records in the world go too upon the same account And this we think some would have or they would no more trouble the world with such frivolous Queries as these How say they can we be sure that the Originals are the same that were first penned what pitie it is that these men stood not by when God commanded a Law to be written for his people and the same to continue unto all genera ions they could have prompted God and told him what was to be considered of viz. That those Books might decay in time and the Copies be corrupted in the transcribing of them or they might be lost and hid aside For so they were in Josiahs time when one Copy was lighted on by chance and counted as a Jewel for its rarity And that in after ages there might be much questioning about them whether they had not under the revolutions of many ages been altered from what they were at first by his
appointment But the only wise God who certainly could foresee all these things thought it best to have his Word written and yet made no extraordinary provision for transcribing them upon occasion or preventing such questions as are now made by some Sure we are that our Saviour calls the Jews to Scripture and they do not excuse themselves by saying they know not whether they have the Law of Moses as it was first delivered nay they confess that God spake by Moses and they knew it And our Saviour pu s the question whether he were the Ch in to be proved by Scripture Strange that the only wise God should not foresee this quarrel miâ—…h be made in after ages which Pâ—…pists make now For might not the 〈◊〉 the Law of Moses and the writings of the Prophets were no Rule of faith and manners to them because they could not evidence their own certainty so as to ascertain them And how could they â—…icertain them then more then us new But Tradition is it which must secure all by its affidavit made to Scripture And what do we then believe in believing Scripture the authority of God or men If Scriptures authority as to us depends upon the Churches Testimony in our belief of Scripture we believe men and not God at least we believe God for the Testimony of men And what kind of faith that is let them who question us so much about Scripture resolve us For the various readings that are in the Originals we acknowledge them and think they happened much through the mistakes of those who transcribed the Copies from time to time However they happened for we stand not much upon it Papists know that the Jews Masoreth hath well provided for the Old Testament And though the New hath very many we stand to maintain that all those various readings put together let the worst be made of them can never be improved to prejudice the authority of Scripture in one Article of Faith For all the written and printed Copies of the Original Bibles do concurre in the whole main doctrine of Christ throughout And thereupon we challenge Papists to shew any alteration that clashes with the doctrine first delivered notwithstanding all the various readings in so great a multitude of Copies Hence we conclude as a learned man hath it That the true and proper foundation of Christian Religion is not ink and paper nor any writing or writings whether Originals or Translations but that substance of matter those gracious counsels of God concerning the salvation of the world by Jesus Christ which are indeed represented and 〈◊〉 both in Translations and Orginals but are really and 〈◊〉 distinct from both and no wayes for their natures and beings depending on either of them The writing as he saith declares the nature or tenour of the bargain which was in reality and compleatness of being before the writing and consequently the wâ—…iting can be no part of it In like manner the good pleasure of God concerning mans salvation bad its being in God himself long before any part of it was imparted unto the world by any writing For it was savingly imparted first By immediate inspiration of God unto some men And secendly By word of mouth from these to many others long before any part of it was ordered by God to be set down in writing So that no Book or writing whatsoever is either in whole or in part the Word or Will of God and consequently no foundation of Christian Religion unless we make some other foundation besides the Word of God As for the Originals we are assured that they are intire and not defective as any can be sure of any thing that is of so long standing And therefore we are bold to think that they who question us as they do in this kind might rather have questioned God himself for representing his mind and will in writing when he could not but foresee that such manner of questions might be put in after-ages as are made now adayes None dare say that God never ordered his will to be written And seeing it is so ordered by him why should we question the wise and gracious hand of his providence in contriving the preservation of these antient Records unto all posterity for whom he intended them Methinks it were a more direct course for our Adversaries to take if they would say downright that God never committed his mind and will to writing then now to say as they do that no man can be sure that these writings are the same which were at first For this seems to cast an aspersion upon God for taking such a way of representing his mind unto the sons of men as must leave those of these latter ages of the world under invincible doubtings about his will that respects their greatest and only concernments As for their expedient of Tradition what doth it other then resolve all the Divine authority of Scripture into the authority of men For they say Scripture cannot ascertain us concerning it self nor can any thing else but Tradition which yet is no more then the Testimony of men And so the Testimony of God as to us must be less then that of men To the second Querie we need not say much in way of answering it seeing the Books accounted by us Apocryphal do sufficiently shew what account we are bound to make of them while they confute themselves by their own contents That the Maccabees are a story of which there is good use we deny not and that Ecclesiâ—…sticus and the Book of Wisdom c. contain many and sundry moral instructions we do not question no more then that the like are found in other Books which yet pretend not to Divine authority But this proves them not to be Canonical as the Church of Rome hath determined Once the Jewish Church never owned them for part of the Canon nor were they ever written in their language as the other parts of the Old 〈◊〉 True they have been allowed to be read in some Churches for instruction in manners But the Christian Church never received them into the Canon of Scripture nor will it ever be proved The Romish Church indeed for what cause she best knows hath Canonized these Books But what is that to us who can as easily distinguish in this case as we can between light and darkness But we appeal to the Churches Testimony and say that the true Christian Church had no other Canonical Books then what we own for such There were indeed some who questioned some particular Books of the New Testâ—…ment but that question continued not long and if some also gave too much to these Apocryphals that is not enough to countervail the general vote of the whole Church which alwayes rejected them from having any place in the Canon Hence our answer is that we know what Books are Canonical by that light and lustre of Divine truth which shines out and shews it self in