what we believe Both these are again Divine or humane 3. It is one thing to believe as Probable another thing to believe it as certain 4. It s one thing to believe it to be true conditionally another to believe it absolutely 5. We must distinguish betwixt the bare assent of the understanding to the truth of an Axiome when it is only silenced by force of Argument which will be stronger or weaker as the Argument seemeth more or lesse demonstrative and secondly that deep apprehension and firme assent which proceedeth from a well stablished confirmed Faith backed by experience 6. It s one thing to assent to the truth of the Axiome another to taste and chuse the good contained in it which is the work of the Will SECT II. THe Use I shall make of these distinctions is to open the way to these following Positions which will resolve the great Questions on foot How far the belief of the Written Word is of necessity to salvation and Whether it be the foundation of our faith And whether this foundation have been always the same Pos. 1. The Object of belief Is the will of God revealed or a Divine Testimony where two things are absolutely necessary first The Matter secondly The Revelation 2. All this Revealed Will is necessary to the compleating of our faith and it is our duty to believe it But it s onely the substance and tenor of the Covenants and the things necessarily supposed to the knowing and keeping of the Covenant of Grace which are of absolute necessity to the beeing of Faith and to Salvation A man may be saved though he should not believe many things which yet he is bound by God to believe 3. Yet this must be onely through ignorance of the Divineness of the Testimony For a flat unbelief of the smallest truth when we know the Testimony to be of God will not stand with the beeing of true Faith nor with Salvation For Reason layes this ground That God can speak nothing but Truth and Faith proceeds upon that supposition 4. This Doctrine so absolutely necessary hath not been ever from the beginning the same but hath differed according to the different Covenants and Administrations That Doctrine which is now so necessary was not so before the Fall And that which is so necessary since the coming of Christ was not so before his coming Then they might be saved in believing in the Messiah to come of the seed of David but now it s of necessity to believe that this Jesus the Son of Mary is He and that we look not for another I prove it thus That which is not revealed can be no object for Faith much less so necessary But Christ was not Revealed before the Fall nor this Jesus Revealed to be He before his coming therefore these were not of necessity to be believed or as some Metaphorically speak they were then to fundamentall Doctrines Perhaps also some things will be found of absolute necessity to us which are not so to Indians and Turks 5. God hath made this substance of Scripture-Doctrine to be thus necessary primarily and for it self 6. That it be revealed is also of absolute necessity but secondarily and for the Doctrines sake as a means without which Believing is neither possible nor a duty And though where there is no Revelation Faith is not necessary as a duty yet it may be necessary I think as a means that is our natural misery may be such as can no other way be cured but this concerns not us that have heard of Christ 7. Nature Creatures and Providence are no sufficient Revelation of this tenor of the Covenants 8. It is necessary not onely that this Doctrine be Revealed but also that it be Revealed with Grounds or Arguments rationally sufficient to evince the verity of the Doctrine or the Divineness of the Testimony that from it we may conclude the former 9. The Revelation of Truth is to be considered in respect of the first immediate delivery from God or secondly in respect of the way of its coming down to us It is delivered by God immediatly either by writing as the two Tables or by informing Angels who may be his Messengers or by inspiring some choise particular men So that few in the world have received it from God at the first hand 10. The only ways of Revelation that for ought I know are now left are Scripture and Tradition For though God hath not tied himself from Revelations by the Spirit yet he hath ceased them and perfected his Scripture Revelations so that the Spirit onely Reveales what is Revealed already in the Word by illuminating us to understand it 11. The more immediate the Revelation caeteris paribus the more sure and the more succession of hands it passeth through the more uncertain especially in matter of Doctrine 12. When we receive from men by Tradition the Doctrine of God as in the Words of God there is less danger of corruption then when they deliver us that Doctrine in their own words because here taking liberty to vary the expressions it will represent the Truth more uncertainly and in more various shapes 13. Therefore hath God been pleased when he ceased immediate Revelation to leave his Will written in a form of words which should be his standing Law and a Rule to try all other mens expressions by 14. In all the forementioned respects therefore the written Word doth excell the unwritten Tradition of the same Doctrine 15. Yet unwritten Tradition or any sure way of Revealing this Doctrine may suffice to save him who thereby is brought to believe As if there be any among the Abaâ—sines of Ethiopia the Coplies in Egypt or elsewhere that have the substance of the Covenants delivered them by unwritten Tradition or by other Writings if hereby they come to believe they shall be saved For so the Promise of the Gospel runs giving salvation to all that believe by what means soever they were brought to it The like may be said of true Believers in those parts of the Church of Rome where the Scripture is wholly hid from the vulgar if there be any such parts 16. Yet where the written Word is wanting salvation must needs be more difficult and more rare and Faith more feeble and mens conversations worse ordered because they want that clearer Revelation that surer Rule of Faith and Life which might make the way of salvation more easie 17. When Tradition ariseth no higher or cometh originally but from this written Word and not from the verbal Testimonies of the Apostles before the Word was written there that Tradition is but the preaching of the Word and not a distinct way of Revealing 18. Such is most of the Tradition for ought I can learn that is now afoot in the world for matter of Doctrine but not for matter of fact 17. Therefore the Scriptures are not onely necessary to the well-beeing of the Church and to the
give them such rejoycings in it and yet never bestow it on them It cannot be Nay doth he give them the earnest of the inheritance Eph. 1.14 And Seal them with the Holy Spirit of promise Eph. 1.13 And yet will he deny the full possession These absurdities may not be charged on an ordinary man much less on the Faithfull and Righteous God SECT VI. SIxthly And Lastly The Scripture mentioneth particularly and by name those who have entered into this Rest. As Henoch who was taken up to God So Abraham Lazarus the thief that was crucified with Christ c. And if there be a Rest for these sure there is a Rest for all believers CHAP. II. Motives to study and preach the Divine Authority of Scripture SECT I. THus much may suffice where the Scripture is believed to confirm the truth of the point in hand viz. The certain futurity of the Saints Rest. And for Pagans and Infidels who believe not Scripture it is besides the intention of this discourse to endeavor their conviction I am endeavouring the consolation and edification of Saints and not the information and conversion of Pagans Yet do I acknowledg the subject exceeding necessary even to the Saints themselves for Sathans assaults are oft made at the foundation and if he can perswade them to question the verity of Scripture they will soon cast away their hopes of Heaven But if I should here enter upon that task to prove Scripture to be the infallible word of God I should make too broad a digression and set upon a work as larg as the maine for whose sake I should undertake it Neither am I insensible of how great difficulty it would prove to manage it satisfactorily and how much more then my ability is thereto requisite Yet lest the tempted Christian should have no relief nor any Argument at hand against the temptation I shall adventure upon a confirming Argument or two but I shall premise first a word of entreaty to my brethren of the Ministery to preach this a little more to their people And that not any body but some of the choicest whom God hath especially furnished for such a task would be pleased in a full Treatise to undertake it To which end I give them some of the Reasons of my request entreating the Lord to enable and perswade some of them to the work 1. I desire them to consider whether any thing yet published be neer compleat or such as the weight of the subject requires Whether much more may not be said and is necessary to be said then is yet said by any that hath writ on this subject 2. Whether if Christians who have opportunity do their duty would it not be a singular part of their work to endeavour the conversion of Pagans and Infidels And as I said before without some Arguments to demonstrate to them the verity of Scripture how are we furnished for such a work Or what have we to say but naked affirmation Yea how can we maintain the credit of Christianity if we were put to dispute the case with an unbeliever 3. Whether the assertion of some of our Divines that a naturall man without the extraordinary Testimony of the Spirit cannot be perswaded of the verity of Scripture notwithstanding all Arguments that can be produced be not very derogatory to the Authority of Scripture and do not justifie the world in their unbeliefe for it is not their sin to deny assent to that which hath not sufficient evidence As if we confessed to them we have not Arguments to convince you but you must be convinced by the Spirit without Arguments as if the Spirit did not deal with us as rationall creatures and did perswade without Argument and not by it As if many wicked men did not believe the truth of Scripture Yet I confesse ther 's great difference betwixt naturall and Spirituall beliefe 4. Is not this the ground-work of the whole Fabrick of Christianity And the very foundation of our faith And therefore should it not be timely and soundly laid and frequently and clearly taught 5. Is not Faith a rational Act of a rational Creature And so the Understanding proceeds discursively in its production And is not that the strongest Faith which hath the strongest Reasons to prove the Testimony to be valid upon which it resteth and the clearest apprehension and use of those Reasons And the truest Faith which hath the truest Reasons truly apprehended and used And must not that on the contrary be a weak or false faith which receives the Verity and Validity of the Testimony from weak or false Grounds though the Testimony of it self be the truest in the world Our Divines use to say concerning love to Christ that it is not to be measured by the degree of Fervor so much as by the Grounds and Motives so that if a man should love Christ upon the same Reasons as a Turk loves Mahomet it were no true love if he love him upon false grounds it must needs be a false love and if upon common grounds it can be but a common love And is it not then as clear that to believe in Jesus Christ upon the grounds that a Turk believes in Mahomet or to believe Scripture upon the same reasons that the Turk believes the Alcoran is no true Faith Supposing that both have the like verity of their Reasons 6. Is the generality of Christians able to give any better then some such common reason to prove the verity of Scripture Nay are the more exercised Understanding sort of Christians able by sound Arguments to make it good if an Enemy or a Temptation put them to it Nay are the ordinary sort of Ministers in England able to do this Let them that have tried judg 7. Can the Superstructure be firm where the Foundation is Sandy And can our Affections and Actions be sound and strong when our belief of Scripture is unsound or infirm Sure this Faith will have influence into all For my own part I take it to be the greatest cause of coldness in Duty weakness in Graces boldness in Sinning and unwillingness to die c. that our Faith is either unsound or infirm in this point Few Christians among us for ought I finde have any better then the Popish implicit faith in this point nor any better Arguments then the Papists have to prove Scripture the Word of God They have received it by Tradition godly Ministers and Christians tell them so it is impious to doubt of it and therefore they believe it And this worm lying at the root causeth the languishing and decay of the whole yet is it usually undiscerned for the root lieth secret under ground But I am apt to judg that though the most complain of their uncertainty of salvation through want of assurance of their own Interest and of the weakness of the applying Act of Faith yet the greater cause of all
that such a Latine or Greek word hath such a signification when will he learn or how will he know Nay how do the most learned linguists know the signification of words in any language and so in the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures but only upon the credit of their Teachers and Authors And yet certaine enough too in the maine Tradition is not so useles to the world or the Church as some would have it Though the Papists do sinfully plead it against the sufficiency of Scripture yet Scriptures sufficiency or perfection is only in suo genere in its owne kind and not in omni genere not sufficient for every purpose Scripture is a sufficient rule of Faith and life but not a sufficient means of conveying it self to all generations and persons If humane Testimony had not been necessary why should Christ have men to be witnesses in the beginning And also still instruments of perswading others and attesting the verity of these sacred records to those that cannot otherwise come to know them And doubtles this is a chief use of Ministers in the Church and the great end of God in the stating and continuing that function that what men are uncapable of believing explicitly with a faith properly Divine that they might receive implicitly and upon the word of their Teachers with a humane faith Every man should labor indeed to see with his own eyes and to know all that God hath revealed and to be wiser eâ—en his Teachers but every man cannot bestow that time and pains in the study of Languages and Sciences without which that knowledg is not now attained We may rather wish then hope that all the Lords people were Prophets The Church of Christ hath been long in a very doleful plight betwixt these two extreams taking all things upon trust from our teachers and taking nothing upon trust And yet those very men who so disclaime taking upon trust do themselves take as much upon trust as others Why els are Ministers called the eyes and the hands of the body Stewards of the mysteries and of the house of God Overseers Rulers and Governers of the Church And such as must give the children their meat in due season Fathers of their people c. Surely the clearly known Truth and Duty must be received from any one though but a childe and known errror and iniquity must be received from none though an Angel from Heaven What then is that we are so often required to obey our Teaching Rulers in Surely it is not so much in the receiving of new instituted Ceremonies from them which they call things indifferent But as in all professions the Scholar must take his masters Word in learning till he can grow up to know the things in their own evidence and as men will take the words of any aâ—tificers in the matters that concern their own trade and as every wise patient will trust the judgement of his Physitian except he know as much himself and the Client will take the word of his Lawyer so also Christ hath ordered that the more strong and knowing should be teachers in his school and the young and ignorant should believe them and obey them till they can reach to understand the things themselves So that the matters which we must receive upon trust from our teachers are those which we cannot reach to know our selves and therefore must either take them upon the word of others or not receive them at all so that if these Rulers and Stewards do require us to believe when we know not our selves whether it be truth or not or if they require us to obey when we know not our selves whether it be a duty commanded by God or not here it is that we ought to obey them For though we know not whether God hath revealed such a point or commanded such an action yet that he hath commanded us to obey them that Rule over us who preach to us the word of God this we certainly know Heb. 13.7 Yet I think not we are so strictly tyed to the judgement of a weak Minister of our own as to take his word before anothers that is more Judicious in a neighbour congregation Nor do I think if we see but an appearance of his erring that we should carelessely go on in believing and obeying him without a diligent searching after the Truth even a liklyhood of his mistake must quicken us to further enquiry and may during that enquiry suspend our belief and obedience For where we are able to reach to know probabilities in divine things we may with diligence lightly reach to that degree of certainty which our Teachers themselves have attained or at least to understand the Reason of their Doctrine But still remember what I said before that fundamentals must be believed with a Faith explicit Absolute and Divine And thus I have shewed you the flat necessity of taking much upon the Testimony of man And that some of these humane Testimonies are so certaine that they may well be called Divine I conclude all with this intimation You may see by this of what singular use are the monuments of Antiquity and the knowledg thereof for the breeding and strengthening of the Christian faith especially the Histories of those times I would not perswade you to bestow much time in the reading of the Fathers in reference to their judgement in matter of Doctrine Gods word is a sufficient Rule and latter times have afforded far better Expositors But in reference to matters of fact for confirming the Miracles mentioned in Scripture and relating the wonderfull providence since I would they were read an hundred times more Not onely the writers of the Church but even the Histories of the enemies and all other antiquities Little do most consider how usefull these are to the Christian faith CHAP. V. The second Argument SECT I. I Come now to my second Argument to prove Scripture to be the word of God And it is this If the Scriptures be neither the invention of Devils nor of men then it can be from none but God But that it is neither of Divels nor meerly of men I shall now prove for I suppose none will question the major proposition First Not from Divels for first they cannot work Miracles to confirm them Secondly It would not stand with Gods Soveraignity over them or with his goodness Wisdome and Faithfulness in governing the world to suffer Satan to make Laws and confirm them with wonders and obtrude them upon the world in the name of God and all this without his disclaiming them or giving the world any notice of the forgery Thirdly Would Satan speak so much for God So seek his Glory as the Scripture doth would he so vilifie and reproach himself and make known himself to be the hatefullest and most miserable of all creatures would he so fully discover his own wiles his Temptations his methods of deceiving and
sincerely shall be Justified and Saved there is requisite in us 1. A Certainty of Knowledg That such a Proposition is written in Scripture 2. A Certainty of Assent or Faith That this Scripture is the Word of God and True Also in respect of the Minor Proposition But I do sincerely Believe or Love c. there is requisite 1. A Certainty of the Truth of our Faith in point of Being 2. And a Certainty of its Truth in point of Morality or Congruence with the Rule or its Right-being And then followeth Assurance which is the Certainty that the Conclusion Therefore I am Justified c. followeth necessarily upon the former Premises Here also you must carefully distinguish betwixt the several degrees of Assurance All Assurance is not of the highest degree It differs in strength according to the different degrees of Apprehension in all the forementioned Points of Certainty which are necessary thereunto He that can truly raise the foresaid Conclusion That he is Justified c. from the Premises hath some degree of Assurance though he do it with much weakness and staggering and doubting The weakness of our Assurance in any one point of the premises will accordingly weaken our Assurance in the Conclusion Some when they speak of Certainty of Salvation do mean only such a Certainty as excludeth all doubting and think nothing else can be called Certainty but this high degree Perhaps some Papists mean this when they deny a Certainty Some also maintain That Saint Paul's Plerophory or full Assurance is this Highest degree of Assurance and that some Christians do in this life attain to it But Paul calls it Full Assurance in comparison of lower degrees and not because it is perfect For if Assurance be perfect then also our Certainty of Knowledg Faith and Sense in the â—â—â—mises must be perfect And if some Grace perfect why not all and so we turn Novatians Catharists Perfectionists Perhaps in some their Certainty may be so great that it may overcome all sensible doubting or sensible stirrings of Unbelief by reason of the sweet and powerful Acts and Effects of that Certainty And yet it doth not overcome all Unbelief and Uncertainty so as to expel or nullifie them but a certain measure of them remaineth still Even as when you would heat cold water by the mixture of hot you may pour in the hot so long till no coldness is felt and yet the water may be far from the highest degree of heat So faith may suppress the sensible stirrings of unbelief and Certainty prevail against all the trouble of uncertainty and yet be far from the highest degree So that by this which is said you may Answer the Question What Certainty is to be attained in this Life and what Certainty it is that we press men to labour for and expect Furthermore you must be sure to distinguish betwixt Assurance it self and the Joy and Strength and other sweet Effects which follow Assurance or which immediately accompany it It is possible that there may be Assurance and yet no comfort or little There are many unskilful but self-conceited Disputers of late fitter to manage a club then an Argument who tell us That it must be the Spirit that must Assure us of our Salvation and not our Marks and Evidences of Grace That our comfort must not be taken from any thing in our selves That our Justification must be immediately believed and not proved by our Signs or Sanctification c. Of these in order 1. It is as wise a Question to ask Whether our Assurance come from the Spirit or our Evidences or our Faith c as to ask whether it be our meat or our stomack or our teeth or our hands that feed us Or whether it be our Eye-sight or the Sun-light by which we see things They are distinct Causes all necessary to the producing of the same Effect So that by what hath bin said you may discern That the Spirit and Knowledg and Faith and Scripture inward Holines and Reason and inward Sense or Conscience have all several parts and necessary uses in producing our Assurances which I will shew you distinctly 1. To the Spirit belong these particulars 1. He hath indited those Scriptures which contain the promise of our Pardon and Salvation 2. He giveth us the habit or power of Believing 3. He helpeth us also to Believe Actually That the Word is true and to receive Christ and the priviledges offered in the promise 4. He worketh in us those Graces and exciteth those Gracious Acts within us which are the Evidences or Marks of our interest pardon and Life He helpeth us to perform those Acts which God hath made to be the Condition of Pardon and Glory 5. He helpeth us to feel and discover these Acts in our selves 6. He helpeth us to compare them with the Rule and finding out their qualifications to Judg of their Sincerity and Acceptation with God 7. He helpeth our Reason to Conclude rightly of our State from our Acts. 8. He enliveneth and heighteneth our Apprehension in these particulars that our Assurance may accordingly be strong and lively 9. He exciteth our Joy and filleth with comfort when he pleaseth upon this Assurance None of all these could we perform well of our selves 2. The Part which the Scripture hath in this Work is 1. It affordeth us the Major Proposition That whosoever Believeth Sincerely shall be saved 2. It is the Rule by which our Acts must be tryed that we may Judg of their Moral Truth 3. The Part that Knowledg hath in it is to Know that the foresaid Proposition is written in Scripture 4. The Work of Faith is to Believe the Truth of that Scripture and to be the matter of one of our chief Evidences 5. Our Holiness and true Faith as they are Marks and Evidences are the very Medium of our Argument from which we Conclude 6. Our Conscience and internal Sense do acquaint us with both the Being and Qualifications of our inward Acts which are this Medium and which are called Marks 7. Our Reason or Discourse is Necessary to form the Argument and raise the Conclusion from the Premises and to compare our Acts with the Rule and Judg of their Sincerity c. So that you see our Assurance is not an Effect of any one single Cause alone And so neither meerly of Faith by Signs or by the Spirit From all this you may gather 1. What the Seal of the Spirit is to wit the Works or fruits of the Spirit in us 2. What the testimony of the Spirit is for if it be not some of the forementioned Acts I yet know it not 3. What the Testimony of Conscience is And if I be not mistaken the Testimony of the Spirit and the Testimony of Conscience are two concurrent Testimonies or Causes to produce one and the same Effect and to afford the Premises to the same Conclusion and then to raise our Joy thereupon So
enough before they have it in Gods ordinary way of conveyance God worketh upon Men as Men as Reasonable Creatures The Joy of the Promises and the Joy of the Holy Ghost are one Joy And those Seducers who in their Ignorance mis-guide poor Souls in this point do exceedingly wrong them while they perswade them so to expect their comforts from the Spirit as not to be any authors of them themselves nor to raise up their own hearts by Argumentative means telling them that such Comforts are but hammered by themselves and not the genuine Comforts of the Spirit How contrary is this to the doctrine of Christ SECT XIV 5. ANother Cause of the trouble of their Souls is Their expecting a greater measure of Assurance then God doth usually bestow upon his people Most think as long as they have any doubting they have no Assurance They consider not that there are many degrees of Infallible Certainty below a perfect or an undoubting Certainty They must know that while they are here they shall Know but in part They shall be imperfect in their Knowledg of Scripture which is their Rule in Trying and imperfect in the Knowledg of their own obscure deceitful hearts Some strangeness to God and themselves there will still remain Some darkness will over-spread the face of their Souls Some Unbelief will be making head against their Faith And some of their grievings of the Spirit will be Grieving themselves and making a breach in their Peace and Joy Yet as long as their Faith is prevailing and their Assurance doth tread down and subdue their Doubtings though not quite expel them they may walk in Comfort and maintain their Peace But as long as they are resolved to lie down in sorrow till their Assurance be perfect their days on Earth must then be days of sorrow SECT XV. 6. AGain many a Soul lies long in trouble by taking up their Comforts in the beginning upon unsound or uncertain grounds This may be the case of a gracious Soul who hath better grounds and doth not see them And then when they grow to more ripeness of Understanding and come to find out the insufficiency of their former grounds of Comfort they cast away their Comfort wholy when they should only cast away their rotten props of it and search for better to support it with As if their Comfort and their Safety were both of a nature and both built on the same Foundation they conclude against their Safety because they have discovered the mistake of their former Comforts And there are many much applauded Books and Teachers of late who further the delusion of poor Souls in this point and make them believe that because their former Comforts were too Legal and their perswasions of their good estate were ill grounded therefore themselves were under the Covenant of Works only and their spiritual condition as unsound as their Comforts These men observe not That while they deny us the use of Marks to know our own state yet they make use of them themselves to know the states of others Yea and of false and insufficient Marks too For to argue from the Motive of our perswasion of a good estate to the goodness or badness of that estate is no sound arguing It followeth not that a man is unregenerate because he judged himself regenerate upon wrong grounds For perhaps he might have better grounds and not know it or else not know which were good and which bad Safety and Comfort stand not always on the same bottom Bad grounds do prove the Assurance bad which was built upon them but not always the Estate bad These Teachers do but toss poor Souls up and down as the waves of the Sea making them believe that their Estate is altered as oft as their conceits of it alter Alas few Christians do come to know either what are solid grounds of Comfort or whether they have any such grounds themselves in the infancy of Christianity But as an Infant hath life before he knoweth it and as he hath misapprehensions of himself and most other things for certain years together and yet it will not follow that therefore he hath no life or reason So is it in the case in hand Yet this should perswade both Ministers and Believers themselves to lay right grounds for their Comfort in the beginning as far as may be For else usually when they find the flaw in their Comforts and Assurance they will judg it to be a flaw in their Safety and Real Estates Just as I observe most persons do who turn to Errors or Heresies They took up the Truth in the beginning upon either false or doubtful grounds and then when their grounds are overthrown or shaken they think the doctrine is also overthrown and so they let go both together as if None had solid Arguments because They had not or none could manage them better then They. Even so when they perceive that their Arguments for their good estate were unsound they think that their Estate must needs be as unsound SECT XVI 7. MOreover many a Soul lyeth long under doubting Through the great Imperfection of their very Reason and exceeding weakness of their natural parts Grace doth usually rather turn our parts to their most necessary use and imploy our faculties on better Objects then add to the degree of their natural strength Many honest hearts have such weak heads that they know not how to perform the work of Self-Tryal They are not able rationally to argue the Case They will acknowledg the Premises and yet deny the apparent Conclusion Or if they be brought to acknowledg the Conclusion yet they do but fluctuate and stagger in their concession and hold it so weakly that every assault may take it from them If God do not some other way supply to these men the defect of their Reason I see not how they should have clear and setled Peace SECT XVII 8. ANother great and too common Cause of Doubting and Discomfort is The secret maintaining of some known sin When a man liveth in some unwarrantantable practise and God hath oft touched him for it and Conscience is galled and yet he continueth it It is no wonder if this person want both Assurance and Comfort One would think that a Soul that lieth under the fears of Wrath and is so tender as to tremble and complain should be as tender of sinning and scarcely adventure upon the appearance of evil And yet sad experience telleth us that it is frequently otherwise I have known too many such that would complain and yet sin and accuse themselves and yet sin still yea and despair and yet proceed in sinning and all Arguments and means could not keep them from the wilful committing of that sin again and again which yet they did think themselves would prove their destruction Yea some will be carryed away with those sins which seem most contrary to their dejected temper I have known them that
their sorrows and that which shakes the whole building is the weakness of their faith about the truth of Scripture though perhaps the other be more perceived and this taken notice of by few There may be great weakness and unsoundness of belief where yet no doubtings are perceived to stir Therefore though we could perswade people to believe never so confidently that Scripture is the very Word of God and yet teach them no more reason why they should believe this then any other book to be that Word as it will prove in them no right way of believing so is it in us no right way of teaching 8. There is many a one who feels his faith shake here who never discovers it To doubt of our Evidences is taken for no great disgrace and therefore men more freely profess such doubts nay and some perhaps who are not much troubled with them because they would be thought to be humble Christians But to question the truth of Scripture is a reproachful Blalphemy and therefore all that are guilty here speak not their doubts 9. Is not the greatest battery by all sort of enemies especially made against this Foundation The first place that the Papist assaults you in is here How know you the Scripture to be the Word of God The Seekers who are the Jesuits By blows though they yet know not their own father will accoast you with the like question How know you that your Scripture and your Ministery is of God The Familists and Libertines do spit their venom here And some Christians by experience are able to testifie that Satans temptations are most violent here Yea and our own carnal deluded Reason is aptest of all to stumble here They talk of a Toleration of all Religions and some desire that the Jews may have free commerce amongst us it will then be time for us I think to be well armed at this point Let the ordinary Professors of our Time who are of weak judgments and fiery spirits look to it how they will stand in such assaults least as now when they cannot answer a Separatist they yield to him and when they cannot answer an Antinomian they turn Antinomians so then when they can much less answer the subtil Arguments of a Jew against Christ and the Gospel they should as easily turn Jews and deny Christ and the verity of the Gospel The Libertines among us think it necessary that we should have such a Toleration to discover the unsound who hold their faith upon Tradition and Custome I am no more of their mindes in this then of his who would have a fair Virgin to lye with him and try his Chastity and make its victory more honorable But if we must needs have such a triall its time to look to the grounds of our belief that we may be ready to give a reason of our Hope 10. However though I were mistaken in all this yet certain I am that the strengthening of our faith in the verity of Scripture would be an exceeding help to the joy of the Saints and would advance their confident hopes of Rest. For my self if my faith in this point had no imperfection if I did as verily believe the Glory to come as I do believe that the Sun will rise again when it is set O how would it raise my desires and my joyes what haste should I make how serious should I be how should I trample on these earthly vanities and even forget the things below How restless should I be till I were assured of this Rest and then how restless till I did possess it How should I delight in the thought of death and my heart leap at the tidings of its approach How glad should I be of the bodies decaies to feel my prison moulder to dust Surely this would be the fruit of a perfect belief of the truth of the Promise of our eternal Rest. Which though it cannot be here expected yet should we use the most strengthening means and press on till we had attained SECT II. THus much I have purposely spoken as to stir up Christians to look to their faith so especialiy to provoke some choise servant of Christ among the multitudes of Books that are written to bestow their labors on this most needful Subject and all Ministers to preach it more frequently and clearly to their people Some think it is Faiths honor to be as credulous as may be and the weaker are the rational grounds the stronger is the faith and therefore we must believe and not dispute Indeed when it s once known to be a Divine Testimony then the most credulous soul is the best But when the doubt is whether it be the Testimony of God or no a man may easily be over-credulous Else why are we bid believe not every spirit but try them whether they be of God or not And how should the false Christs and false Prophets be known who would deceive were it possible the very Elect to be given up of God to believe a lye is one of the sorest of Gods Judgments Some think the onely way to deal with such temptations to Blasphemy is to cast them away and not to dispute them And I think the direction is very good so it be used with some distinction and caution The Rule holds good against reall Blasphemy known to be such but if the person know it not how shall he make use of this Rule against it Further it is supposed that he who knows it to be Blasphemy hath Arguments whereby to prove it such else how doth he know it Therefore here lyes the sin when a man is by sufficient evidence convinced or at least hath Evidence sufficient for conviction that it is a Divine Testimony and yet is still cherishing doubts or hearkning to temptations which may feed those doubts when a man like Balaam will take no answer But he who will therefore cast away all doubts before he hath Arguments sufficient against them or could ever prove the thing in Question he doth indeed cast aside the temptation but not overcome it and may expect it should shortly return again It is a methodicall cure which prevents a relapse Such a neglecter of temptations may be in the right and may as well be in the wrong but however it is not right to him because not rightly believed Faith alwayes implies a Testimony and the knowledg usually of the matter and Author of that Testimony Divine Faith hath ever a Divine Testimony and supposeth the knowledg of the matter when the Faith is particular but always of the Author of that Testimony An implicite Faith in God that is a believing that all is true which he testifieth though we see no reason for it from the evidence of the matter this is necessary to every true Believer But to believe implicitly that the Testimony is Divine or that Scripture is the Word of God this is not to believe God
Officers and Orders of Churches are to us as Laws still binding with those limitations as Positives onely which give way to greater 43. The ground of this Position is because it is inconsistent with the Wisdom and Faithfulness of God to send men to a work and promise to be with them and yet to forsake them and suffer them to err in the building of that House which must indure till the end of the world 44. Yet if any of these Commissioners do err in their own particular conversations or in matters without the extent of their Commission this may consist with the faithfulness of God God hath not promised them infallibility and perfection the disgrace is their own but if they should miscarry in that wherein they are sent to be a rule to others the Church would then have an imperfect Rule and the dishonor would redound to God 45. Yet I finde not that ever God authorized any meere man to be a Lawgiver to the Church in Substantials but onely to deliver the Laws which he had given to Interpret them and to determine Circumstantials not by him determined 46. Where God owneth mens Doctrines and Examples by Miracles they are to be taken as infallibly Divine much more when Commission Promise and Miracles do concur which confirmeth the Apostles Examples for currant 47. So that if any of the â—ings or Prophets had given Laws and formed the Church as Moses they had not been binding because without the said Commission or if any other Minister of the Gospel shall by Word or Action arrogate an Apostolical priviledg 48. There is no verity about God or the chief happiness of man written in Nature but it is to be found written in Scriptures 49. So that the same thing may in these several respects be the object both of Knowledg and of Faith 50. The Scripture being so perfect a Transcript of the law of Nature or Reason is much more to be credited in its supernatural Revelations 51. The probability of most things and the possibility of all things contained in the Scriptures may well be discerned by Reason it self which makes their Existence or Futurity the more easie to be believed 52. Yet before this Existence or Futurity of any thing beyond the reach of Reason can be soundly believed the Testimony must be known to be truly Divine 53. Yet a belief of Scripture Doctrine as probable doth usually go before a belief of certainty and is a good preparative thereto 54. The direct express sense must be believed directly and absolutely as infallible and the consequences where they may be clearly and certainly raised but where there is danger of erring in raising consequences the assent can be but weak and conditional 55. A Consequence raised from Scripture being no part of the immediate sense cannot be called any part of Scripture 56. Where one of the premises is in Nature and the other onely in Scripture there the Conclusion is mixt partly known and partly believed That it is the Consequence of those premises is known but that it is a Truth is as I said apprehended by a mixt Act. Such is a Christians concluding himself to be justified and sanctified c. 57. Where through weakness we are unable to discern the Consequences there is enough in the express direct sense for salvation 58. Where the sense is not unstood there the belief can be but implicit 59. Where the sense is partly understood but with some doubting the Belief can be but conditionally explicit that is we believe it if it be the sense of the Word 60. Fundamentals must be believed Explicitly and Absolutely CHAP. IIII. The first Argument to prove Scripture to be the Word of God SECT IIII. HAving thus shewed you in what sense the Scriptures are the word of God and how far to be believed and what is the excellency necessity and authority of them I shall now adde three or four Arguments to help your Faith which I hope will not onely prove them to be Divine Testimony to the substance of Doctrine though that be a usefull work against our unbelief but also that they are the very written Laws of God and a perfect Rule of Faith and duty My Arguments shall be but few because I handle it but on the by and those such as I finde little of in others writings least I should wast time in doing what is done to my hands 1. Those writings and that Doctrine which were confirmed by many real Miracles must needs be of God and consequently of undoubted Truth But the books and Doctrine of Canonicall Scripture were so confirmed Therefore c. Against the major proposition nothing of any moment can be said For it s a Truth apparent enough to nature that none but God can work real Miracles or at least none but those whom he doth especially enable thereto And it is as manifest that the Righteous and Faithfull God will not give this power for a seal to any falshood or deceit The usuall Objections are these First Antichrist shall come with lying wonders Answ. They are no true Miracles As they are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Thess. 2.9 lying in sealing to a lying doctrine so also in being but seeming and counterfeit Miracles The like may be said to those of Pharaohs Magicians and all other Sorcerers and Witches and those that may be wrought by Satan himself They may be wonders but not Miracles Object 2. God may enable false Prophets to work Miracles to try the world without any derogation to his Faithfulness Answ. No for Divine power being properly the attendant of Divine Revelation if it should be annexed to Diabolicall delusions it would be a sufficient excuse to the world for their believing those delusions And if Miracles should not be a sufficient seal to prove the Authority of the witness to be Divine then is there nothing in the world sufficient and so our Faith will be quite overthrown Object But however Miracles will no more prove Christ to be the Son of God then they will prove Moses Elias or Elisha to be the Son of God for they wrought Miracles as well as Christ. Answ. Miracles are Gods seal not to extoll the person that is instrumentall nor for his glory but to extoll God and for his own Glory God doth not entrust any creature with this seal so absolutely as that they may use it when and in what case they please If Moses or Elias had affirmed themselves to be the sons of God they could never have confirmed that affirmation with a Miracle for God would not have sealed to a lye Christs power of working Miracles did not immediatly prove him to be the Christ. But it immediately proved his Testimony to be Divine and that Testimony spoke his nature and office So that the power of Miracles in the Prophets and Apostles was not to aâ—â—est to their own greatness but to the truth of their Testimony conâ—â—rning Christ.
would fill mens ears with the constant lamentations of their miserable state and despairing accusations against themselves as if they had been the most humble people in the world and yet be as passionate in the maintaining their innocency when another accuseth them and as intolerably peevish and tender of their own reputation in any thing they are blamed for as if they were the proudest persons on earth still denying or extenuating every disgraceful fault that they are charged with This cherishing of sin doth hinder Assurance these four ways 1. It doth abate the degree of our Graces and so makes them more undiscernable 2. It obscureth that which it destroyeth not for it beareth such sway that Grace is not in Action nor seen to stir nor scarce heard speak for the noise of this Corruption 3. It puteth out or dimmeth the eye of the Soul that it cannot see its own condition and it benummeth and stupifieth that he cannot feel its own case 4. But especially it provoketh God to withdraw himself his Comforts and the Assistance of the Spirit without which we may search long enough before we have Assurance God hath made a separation betwixt Sin and Peace Though they may consist together in remiss degrees yet so much as Sin prevaileth in the Soul so much will the Peace of that Soul be defective As long as thou dost favour or cherish thy Pride and Self-esteem thy aspiring projects and love of the world thy secret lusts and pleasing the desires of the flesh or any the like unchristian practise thou expectest Assurance and Comfort in Vain God will not encourage thee by his precious gifts in a course of sinning This worm will be crawling and gnawing upon thy Conscience It will be a freting devouring canker to thy Consolations Thou mayst steal a spark of false comfort from thy worldly prosperity or delights or thou mayst have it from some false Opinions or from the delusions of Satan But from God thou wilt have no more Comfort then thou makest Conscience of sinning However an Antinomian may tell thee That thy Comforts have no such dependance upon thy Obedience nor thy discomforts upon thy disobedience and therefore may speak as much Peace to thee in the course of thy sinning as in thy most conscionable walking yet thou shalt find by experience that God will not do so If any man set up his Idols in his Heart and put the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face and cometh to a Minister or to God to enquire for Assurance and Comfort God will Answer that man by himself and in stead of comforting him he will set his Face against him he will Answer him According to the multitude of his Idols Read Ezek. 14.3 4 5 6 7 8 9. SECT XVIII 9. ANother very great and common Cause of want of Assurance and Comfort is When men grow Lazy in the spiritual part of duty and keep not up their Graces in constant and lively Action As Dr Sibbs saith truly It is the lazy Christian commonly that lacketh Assurance The way of painful duty is the way of fullest Comfort Christ carryeth all our Comforts in his hand If we are out of that way where Christ is to be met we are out of the way where Comfort is to be had These three ways doth this Laziness debar us of our Comforts 1. By stopping the Fountain and causing Christ to withhold this blessing from us Parents use not to smile upon children in their neglects and disobedience So far as the Spirit is Grieved he will suspend his Consolations Assurance and Peace are Christ's great Encouragements to faithfulness and obedience And therefore though our Obedience do not Merit them yet they usually rise and fall with our Diligence in duty They that have entertained the Antinomian dotages to cover their Idleness and Viciousness may talk their non-sence against this at pleasure but the laborious Christian knows it by experience As prayer must have Faith and Fervency to procure its success besides the Bloodshed and Intercession of Christ Jam. 5.15 16. so must all other parts of our Obedience He that will say to us in that Triumphing day Well Done Good and Faithful Servant c. Enter thou into the Joy of thy Lord Will also clap his Servants upon the back in their most Affectionate and Spiritual Duties and say Well Done Good and Faithful Servant take this Fore-taste of thy Everlasting Joy If thou grow seldom and customary and cold in Duty especially in thy secret Prayers to God and yet findest no abatement in thy Joys I cannot but fear that thy Joys are either Carnal or Diabolical 2. Grace is never apparent and sensible to the Soul but while it is in Action Therefore want of Action must needs cause want of Assurance Habits are not felt immediately but by the freeness and facility of their Acts Of the very Being of the Soul it self nothing is felt or perceived if any more Be but only its Acts. The fire that lyeth still in the flint is neither seen nor felt but when you smite it and force it into Act it is easily discerned The greatest Action doth force the greatest Observation whereas the dead or unactive are not remembred or taken notice of Those that have long lain still in their graves are out of mens thoughts as well as their sight but those that walk their streets and bear Rule among them are noted by all It is so with our Graces That you have a Habit of Love or Faith you can no otherwise know but as a consequence by reasoning but that you may have the Acts you may know by Feeling If you see a man lie still in the way what will you do to know whether he be drunk or in a swoun or dead Will you not stir him or speak to him to see whether he can go Or feel his pulse or observe his breath Knowing that where there is life their is some kind of motion I earnestly beseech thee Christian observe and practise this excellent Rule Thou now knowest not whether thou have Repentance or Faith or Love or joy Why be more in the Acting of these and thou wilt easily know it Draw forth an Object for Godly sorrow or Faith or Love or Joy and lay thy heart flat unto it and take pains to provoke it into suitable action and then see whether thou have these Graces or no. As Doctor Sibbs observeth There is somtimes Griefe for sin in us when we think there is none it wants but stirâ—ing up by some quickening word The like he saith of Love and may be said of every other Grace You may go seeking for the Hare or Partridge many hours and never find them while they lie close and stir not but when once the Hare betakes him self to his legges and the bird to her wings then you see them presently So long as a Christian hath his Graces in lively Action so long for the most
they come to their reckoning One sumptuous feast or one costly suit of apparel would maintain a poor boy a year or two at the University who perhaps might come to have more true worth in him then many a glittering sensual Lord and to do God more service in his Church then ever they did with all their estates and power SECT XVI 3. ANd when you do enjoy the blessing of the Gospel you must yet use your utmost diligence to help poor Souls to receive the fruit of it To which end you must draw them constantly to hear and attend it Mind them often of what they have heard Draw them if it be possible to repeat it in their families If that cannot be then draw them to come to others that do repeat it that so it may not dye in the hearing The very drawing of men into the company and acquaintance of the godly besides the benefit they have by their endeavors is of singular use to the recovery of their Souls Association breedeth familiarity and familiarity breedeth love and familiarity and love to the godly doth lead to familiarity and love to God and godliness It is also a means to take off prejudice by confuting the worlds slanders of the ways and people of God Use therefore often to meet together besides the more publique meeting in the Congregation not to vent any unsound opinions nor yet in distaste of the publique meeting nor in opposition to it nor at the time of publique worship nor yet to make a groundless Schism or to separate from the Church whereof you are members nor to destroy the old that you may gather a new Church out of its ruines as long as it hath the essentials and there is hope of reforming it nor yet would I have you forward to vent your own supposed gifts and parts in teaching where there is no necessity of it nor to attempt that in the interpretation of difficult Scriptures or explication of difficult controversies which is beyond your ability though perhaps pride will tell you that you are as able as any But the work which I would have you meet about is this To repeat together the Word which you have heard in publique to pour out your joynt prayers for the Church and pour selves to joyn in chearful singing the praises of God to open your scruples and doubts and fears and get resolution to quicken each other in Love and Heavenliness and Holy walking and all this not as a separated Church but as a part of the Church more diligent then the rest in redeeming time and helping the Souls of each other Heaven-ward I know some careless ones think this course needless and I know some Formalists do think it Schismatical who have nothing of any moment to say against it Against both these if I durst so far digress I could easily prove it warrantable and useâ—ul I know also that many of late do abuse private meetings to Schism and to vilifie Gods Ordinances and vent the windy issue of their empty brains But betwixt these extreams I advise you to walk and neither to forsake the assembling of your selves together as the manner of some is but exhort one another Heb. 10.25 Nor yet to be carryed about with divers and strange doctrines But let all your private meetings be in subordination to the publique and by the approbation and consent of your spiritual guides and not without them of your own heads where such guides are men of knowledg and godliness remembring them which have the Rule over you which speak to you the Word of God following their faith and as men whose hearts are stablished with grace considering the whole end of a Christians conversation Jesus Christ the same yesterday and to day and for ever Heb. 13.7 8 9 17. And I beseech you Brethren Mark them which cause Divisions and Offences contrary to the doctrine which you have learned and Avoyd them For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ but their own belly and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple Rom. 16.17 18. I would you would ponder every one of these words for they are the precious advice of the Spirit of God and necessary now as well as then SECT XVII 4. ONe thing more I advise you concerning this If you would have Souls converted and saved by the Ordinances Labour still to keep the Ordinances and Ministry in Esteem No man will be much wrought on by that which he despiseth The great causes of this contempt are a perverted Judgment and a Graceless heart It is no more wonder for a Soul to loath the Ordinances that savoureth not their spiritual nature nor seeth God in them nor is throughly wrought on by them then it is for a sick man to loath his food Nor is it any wonder for a perverted understanding to make a Jest of God himself much less to set light by his Ordinances Oh what a rare blessing is a clear sound sanctified Judgment Where this is wanting the most hellish vice may seem a vertue and the most sacred Ordinance of divine Institution may seem as the waters of Jordan to Naaman If any enemies to Gods Ordinances assault you I refer you to the reading of Mr Hen Lawrences late book for Ordinances The prophane Scorners of Ministry and Worship heretofore were the means of keeping many a Soul from Heaven but the late generation of proud ignorant Sectaries amongst us have quite out-stripped in this the vilest persecutors Oh how many Souls may curse these wretches in Hell for ever that have by them been brought to contemn the means that should save them By many years experience in my conversing with these men I can speak it knowingly that the chiefest of their zeal is let out against the faithful Ministers of Christ he is the ablest of their preachers that can rail at them in the most devillish language it is their most common discourse in all companies both godly and prophane to vilifie the Ministry and make them odious to all partly by slanders and partly by scorns Is this the way to win Souls Whereas formerly they thought that if a man were won to a love of the Ministry and Ordinances he was in a hopeful way of being won to God now these men are as diligent to bring all men to scorn them as if this were all that were necessary to the saving of their Souls and he only shall be happy that can deride at Ministers and Discipline If any doubt of the truth of what I say he is a stranger in England and for his satisfaction let him read all the books of Martin Marpriest and tell me whether the Devil ever spoke so with a tongue of flesh before For you my dear friends I acknowledg to Gods praise that you are as far from the contempt of Ordinances or Ministry as any people I know in the Land I shall confirm you herein not