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ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A61806 The lay-Christian's obligation to read the Holy Scriptures Stratford, Nicholas, 1633-1707. 1687 (1687) Wing S5934; ESTC R20560 25,603 42

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is obliged to search into them IV. And for the Commandments especially let it be further consider'd That there are some Commands laid upon Lay-men as well as others which no Man can be capable of yielding obedience to who is not conversant in the Holy Writings I shall instance in three only 1. To instruct their Children in the Scriptures 2. To try the Spirits whether they be of God. 3. To give a reason of the hope that is in them 1. To instruct their Children in the knowledge of the Scriptures This God commanded the Israelites in the place frorecited The words which I command thee this day shall be See also Deut. 4. 9. and chap. 32. 46. in thine heart and thou shalt teach them diligently to thy Children Of the like import is S. Paul's injunction to Christian Parents To bring up their Children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Hear what S. Chrysostom says upon these words Wouldst thou have thy Son obedient nurse him up from the beginning in the instruction and admonition of the Lord. Think it not more than needful that he hear the Divine Scriptures for there he will first hear this lesson Honour thy Father and thy Mother Say not that this belongs to Monks why dost thou fear that which is greatly gainful make him a Christian For it is most necessary for those who converse with the World to know those lessons which are to be learnt from thence especially for Children And a little after he adds Let us make them from their childhood to apply themselves to the reading of the Scriptures And can a Parent instruct his Children in the Scriptures who does not study them himself 2. To try the Spirits whether they be of God. This 1 Joh. 4. 1. S. John commands not only Bishops and Priests but all sorts of Christians to do By Spirits are meant the Teachers who pretend to divine inspiration but now because it cannot ordinarily be discerned whether the Teachers are of God but by the tryal of what they teach they are therefore first to try the Doctrines and as they find them either true or false to conclude the Teacher either a true or a false Prophet Now the Scriptures being the Rule by which Doctrines are to be tried how can a Man make this tryal who is not acquainted with them Yea should we suppose that the Scriptures are not the entire Rule as the present Church of Rome in contradiction to the antient Church and the Scriptures themselves teaches but stand in need of unwritten Traditions to supply their defects yet since the Romanists still grant them to be the Rule of all those Doctrines they extend to that whatsoever Doctrine is deliver'd in them is infallibly true whatsoever is contrary to any Doctrine deliver'd in them is certainly false It plainly follows that no Man can be qualified for the tryal of Doctrines who is a stranger to them because no Man can know what Doctrines are either contrary or agreeable to the Scriptures before he knows what are contain'd in them 3. To give a reason of the Hope that is in them Be 1 Pet. 3. 15. ready always says S. Peter to give an answer to every one that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you When your Religion is opposed and persecuted be ready not only to confess it but to give a reason to every one that requires it why you are Christians And what reason can a Man who knows not the Scriptures give why he is a Christian rather than a Mahometan unless the very same that a Turk can give why he is a Mahometan rather than a Christian viz. That he had the good fortune to be born and bred in a Nation where the Christian Religion was in fashion To conclude this argument In that God commands those things to be done by Lay-men which no Man can do without the knowledge of the Scriptures he also commands them to acquaint themselves with the Scriptures As he that requires the end he also requires the use of those means without which it cannot be obtained V. The uses and ends to which the Holy Scriptures are by God designed are a sufficient proof of Lay-mens obligation to acquaint themselves with them 'T is true some parts of Scripture were intended for the use of Teachers and others of Hearers consider'd as such on purpose to instruct them in those Duties which belong to them as so distinguished the one from the other But besides those Texts which are proper to them with respect to their different ranks and stations the uses to which the Scriptures are design'd are such which respect Men in common both Laity and Clergy of what degree or quality soever Such are in the general To teach and instruct us in those things by which we may be made wise to Salvation S. Paul tells us That whatsoever things were written Rom. 15. 4. aforetime were written for our learning And if whatsoever was written by Moses and the Prophets to those who lived before Christ came in the flesh to reveal the will of God more fully and clearly to us was written not only for their learning but for ours too how much more whatsoever is written since by the Apostles and Evangelists this being written for our learning only and not for theirs More particularly They are design'd to teach us what is necessary for us to know and believe and do that we may be saved These Joh. 20. 31. things are written says S. John that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God and that believing ye might have life through his name And these things have I written 1 Joh. 2. 1. to you that ye sin not To this purpose they teach us not only our Duty in general but what are those sins in particular that are to be avoided and those good works which God hath ordained that we should walk in and are admirably suted to the begetting and promoting of all those heavenly virtues by which we may be disposed and enabled to deny all sorts of ungodliness and worldly lusts and to live soberly righteously and godly in this present World that having our fruit unto holiness here our end may be everlasting life In short the word of Christ is the great instrument which God hath ordained for the saving of Souls and therefore it is call'd the Grace of God which bringeth Salvation Tit. 2. 11. Ephes 1. 13. Rom. 1. 24. Jam. 1. 21. the power of God to Salvation to every one that believeth the Gospel of Salvation And certainly no Man can deny that these uses and ends of Holy Scriptures appertain to Lay-men who does not place them in the order of Beasts and deny that they have Souls capable of immortal Bliss Nor were they written to instruct the People as well as Priests in those points only of Faith and Practice which concern them all in common as they are Men and