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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A90280	Of the divine originall, authority, self-evidencing light, and povver of the Scriptures. With an answer to that enquiry, how we know the Scriptures to be the Word of God. Also a vindication of the purity and integrity of the Hebrew and Greek texts of the Old and New Testament; in some considerations on the prolegomena, & appendix to the late Biblia polyglotta. Whereunto are subjoyned some exercitations about the nature and perfection of the Scripture, the right of interpretation, internall Light, revelation, &c. / By Iohn Owen: D.D.	Owen, John, 1616-1683.	1659 (1659)	Wing O784; Thomason E1866_1; Thomason E1866_1*; ESTC R203092	144,024	386

another Treatise declare do manifest this Truth Sect. 8. That surely then which shall administer to all and every one of them equally and universally satisfaction as to all these things to quiet and calme their spirits to cut off all necessity of any further Enquiries give them that wherein they must acquiesce and wherewith they will be satiated unlesse they will cast off that Relation and dependance on God which they seek to confirme and settle surely I say this must be from the all seeing all-satisfying Truth and Being and from none else Now this is done by the doctrine of the Scripture with such a glorious uncontroleable Conviction that every one to whom it is revealed the eyes of whose understanding are not blinded by the God of this world must needs cry out 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I have found that which in vaine I sought elsewhere waxing foolish in my imaginations Sect. 9. It would be too long to insist on the severalls take one instance in the buisinesse of Attonement Reconciliation and Acceptance with God What strange horrible fruits and effects have mens contrivances on this account produced What have they not invented What have they not done What have they not suffered and yet continued in dread and bondage all their daies Now with what a Glorious soule appeasing Light doth the doctrine of satisfaction and Attonement by the bloud of Christ the son of God come in upon such men This first astonisheth then conquereth then ravisheth and satiateth the soule This is that they looked for this they were sick for and knew it not This is the designe of the Apostles discourse in the 3 first Chapters of the Epistle to the Romans Let any man read that discourse from v. 18. of chap. the first and onward and he will see with what Glory and Beauty with what full and ample satisfaction this Doctrine breaks out Chap. 3. v. 22 23 24 25 26. Sect. 10. It is no otherwise as to the particulars of present Worship or future Blessednesse this meets with men in all their wandrings stops them in their disquisitions convinces them of the darknesse folly uncertainty falsenesse of all their Reasonings about these things and that with such an Evidence and Light as at once subdues them captivates their understanding and quiets their soules so was that old Roman World conquered by it so shall the Mahumetan be in Gods good and appointed time Sect. 11. Of what hath been spoken this is the summe All mankind that acknowledge their dependance upon God and Relation to him are naturally and cannot be otherwise grievously involved and perplexed in their hearts thoughts and Reasonings about the Worship of God Acceptation with him having sinned and the future Enjoyment of him some with more cleare and distinct Apprehensiōs of these things Some under more darke and generall notions of them are thus exercised To extricate themselves and to come to some issue in and about these enquiries hath been the great Designe of their Lives the Aime they had in all things they did as they thought Well and laudably in this world Notwithstanding all which they were never able to deliver themselves no not one of them or attaine satisfaction to their soules but waxed vaine in their imaginations and their foolish hearts were more and more darkened In this estate of things the Doctrine of the Scripture comeing in with full unquestionable satisfaction to all these suited to the enquirings of every individuall soule with a largenesse of Wisdome and depth of Goodnesse not to be fathomed it must needs be from that God with whom we have to doe And those who are not perswaded hereby that will not cast Anchor in this harbour let them put to sea once more if they dare turne themselves loose to other considerations and try if all the forementioned perplexities do not inevitably returne Sect. 12. Another consideration of the Doctrine of the Scripture to this purpose regards some particulars of it There are some Doctrines of the Scripture some Revelations in it so sublimely glorious of so profound and mysterious an Excellency that at the first proposall of them nature startles shrinks and is taken with Horrour meeting with that which is above it too great and too excellent for it which it could desirously avoid and decline but yet gathering it selfe up to them it yeilds and finds that unlesse they are accepted and submitted unto though unsearchable that not only All that hath been received must be rejected but also the whole dependance of the Creature on God be dissolved or rendred only dreadfull terrible and destructive to nature its selfe Such are the Doctrines of the Trinity of the Incarnation of the son of God of the Resurrection of the dead of the new birth and the like At the first Revelation of these things nature is amazed cries how can these things be Or gathers up it selfe to Opposition this is babling like the Athenians folly as all the wise Greeks But when the Eyes of Reason are a little confirmed though it can never clearly behold the Glory of this Sun yet it confesseth a Glory to be in it above all that it is able to apprehend I could manifest in particular that the Doctrines before mentioned and severall others are of this importance namely though great above and beyond the reach of Reason yet upon search found to be such as without submission to them the whole comfortable Relation between God and man must needs be dissolved Sect. 13. Let us take a view in our Way of one of the Instances What is there in the whole Book of God that nature at first sight doth more recoyle at then the Doctrine of the Trinity How many do yet stumble fall at it I confesse the Doctrine its selfe is but sparingly yet it is clearly and distinctly delivered unto us in the Scripture The summe of it is that God is one His nature or his Being one That all the Properties or infinite Essentiall Excellencies of God as God do belong to that one nature and Being This God is infinitely Good Holy Just Powerfull He is eternall omnipotent omnipresēt these things belong to none but him that is that One God That this God is the Father Son and Holy Ghost which are not diverse names of the same Person nor distinct Attributes or Properties of the same nature or Being but One Another and a Third all equally that One God yet really distinguished between themselves by such uncommunicable Properties as cōstitute the One to be that One and the Other to be that Other and the Third to be that Third Thus the Trinity is not the Union nor Unity of three but it is a Trinity in Unity or the Ternary number of Persons in the same Essence nor doth the Trinity in its formall conception denote the Essence as if the Essence were comprehended in the Trinity which is in each Person but it denotes only the distinction of the Persons comprised in

3. There are then two things that are accompanied with a selfe evidencing Excellency and every other thing doth so so far as it is pertaker of their nature and no otherwise now These are 1 Light 2. Power for or in Operation Sect. 4. 1 Light manifests its selfe Whatever is Light doth so that is it doth whatever is necessary on its own part for its manifestation and discovery Of the defects that are or may be in them to whom this discovery is made we do not as yet speak And whatever manifests its selfe is Light 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ephes 5. 13. Light requires neither proofe nor Testimony for its Evidence Let the Sun arise in the firmament and there is no need of VVitnesses to prove and confirme unto a seeing man that it is day A small candle will so do Let the least child bring a candle into a roome that before was darke and it would be a madnesse to go about to prove by substantiall VVitnesses men of Gravity and Authority that Light is brought in Doth it not evince its selfe with an Assurance above all that can be obteined by any Testimony whatever Whatever is Light either naturally or morally so is revealed by its being so That which evidenceth not its selfe is not Light Sect. 5. That the Scripture is a Light we shall see immediately That it is so or can be called so unlesse it hath this nature and Property of Light to evidence its selfe as well as to give light unto others cannot in any tolerable correspondency of speech be allowed Whether Light spirituall and intellectuall regarding the mind or naturall with respect to bodily sight be firstly and properly Light from whence the other is by Allusion denominated I need not now enquire Both have the same properties in their severall kinds 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 true light shineth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Joh. 1. 5. God himselfe is light and he inhabiteth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Tim. 6. 16. not a shining glistering brightnesse as some grosly imagine but the Glorious unsearchable Majesty of his owne Being which is inaccessible to our understandings So Isa 57. 15. inhabiteth eternity So 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith the Psalmist thou cloathest thy selfe with Light and Dan. 2. 22. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Light remaineth with him God He is light essentially and is therefore known by the beaming of his Eternall Properties in all that outwardly is of him And light abides with him as the fountaine of it he communicating Light to all others This being the fountaine of all Light the more it participates of the nature of the fountaine the more it is Light and the more properly as the Properties and Qualities of it are considered It is then spirituall morall intellectuall Light with all its mediums that hath the preheminence as to a participation of the nature and properties of light Sect. 6. Now the Scripture the word of God is light those that reject it are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 lights rebels men resisting the Authority which they cannot but be convinced of Psal 19. 9. 43. 3. 119. 105 130. Prov. 6. 23. Isa 9. 2. Hos 6. 5. Math. 4. 16. and 5. 14. Joh. 3. 20. 21 It is a Light so shining with the majesty of its Author as that it manifests its selfe to be his 2 Pet. 1. 19. A Light shining in a darke place with an eminent advantage for its own discovery as well as unto the benefit of others Sect. 7. Let a light be never so meane and contemptible yet if it shines casts out beames and raies in a dark place it will evidence its selfe If other things be wanting in the faculty the Light as to its innate Glory and beauty is not to suffer prejudice But the Word is a glorious shining Light as hath been shewed an illuminating Light compared to and preferred above the light of the Sun Psal 19. 5 6 7. Rom. 10. 18. Let not then a reproach be cast upon the most glorious Light in the world the most eminent reflexion of uncreated light and Excellencies that will not be fastened on any thing that on any account is so called Math. 5. 19. Sect. 8. Now as the Scripture is thus a Light we grant it to be the duty of the Church of any Church of every Church to hold it up whereby it may become the more conspicuous It is a ground and pillar to set this light upon 1 Tim. 3. 15. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may referre to the mistery of Godlinesse in the next words following in good coherence of speech as well as to the Church but granting the usuall reading no more is affirmed but that the Light and Truth of the Scripture is held up and held out by the Church It is the duty of every Church so to doe almost the whole of its duty And this duty it performes ministerially not Authoritatively A Church may beare up the light it is not the light It beares witnesse to it but kindles not one divine beame to further its discovery All the Preaching that is in any Church its Administration of Ordinances all its walking in the Truth hold up this light Sect. 9. Nor doth it in the least impaire this selfe evidencing Efficacy of the Scripture that it is a morall and spirituall not a naturall light The Proposition is Universall to all kinds of light yea more fully applicable to the former than the latter Light I confesse of it's selfe will not remove the defect of the visive faculty It is not given for that end Light is not Eyes It suffices that there is nothing wanting on it's owne part for it's discovery and Revelation To argue that the Sun cannot be knowne to be the Sun or the great meanes of communicating externall light unto the World because blind men cannot see it nor doe know any more of it then they are told will scarce be admitted nor doth it in the least impeach the Efficacy of the light pleaded for that men stupidly blind cannot comprehend it Joh. 1. 5. Sect. 10. I doe not assert from hence that wherever the Scripture is brought by what meanes soever which indeed is all one All that read it or to whom it is read must instantly of necessity assent unto it's Divine Originall Many men who are not starke blind may have yet so abused their Eyes that when a Light is brought into a darke place they may not be able to discerne it Men may be so preposessed with innumerable prejudices Principles received by stronge Traditions corrupt Affections making them hate the light that they may not behold the Glory of the word when it is brought to them But it is nothing to our present discourse whether any man living be able by and of himselfe to discerne this Light whilst the defect may be justly cast on their owne blindnesse 2 Cor. 4. 2 3 4. By the manifestation of the truth we commend our selves