Many more promises might be collected out of the Old Testament but I come to shew Fourthly that Christ by his own mouth and by the mouthes of his Apostles hath promised to us likewise such a Church Mat. 16. 19. Upon this Rock I will build my Church which he had foretold by his Prophets should be of so vast extent And the Gates of Hell shall not prevail against it Mat. 18. 17. He that will not hear the Church let him be unto thee as a Heathen or a Publican but if Christ by his spirit doth not preserve this Church from all possibility of teaching me error instead of a truth I may from this Church which Christ obligeth me to hear and unto which obligeth me to submit receive such errors as may damn me Mat. 28. 20. And Loe I am with you alwaies even unto the end of the World this must be meant of the visible Church which was to be in every Age for the Apostles were not to live and to Baptise and teach alway unto the end of the world And therefore if the same assistance and presence of Christ was promised to the Church after the Apostles I think we shall not doubt but that it is the same that is infallible But that it may clearely appear that the Assistance promised by Christ to his Church extended to an infallible security from all errors consider Iohn 14. 16. I will pray the Father and he shall give you another Comforter that he may abide with you for ever even the spirit of Truth whom the world cannot receive and v. 26. The Comforter which is the Holy Ghost whom the Father will send in my Name he shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever I shall say unto you and ch 16. 12. I have many things yet to say unto you but you cannot hear them now howbeit when the Spirit of Truth is come he will guide you into all truth But all Truth excludeth all Errors and this for ever which was longer then the Apostles were to live If we therefore enquire by what means this teaching shall be by whom the people shall be taught all Truths and how preserved from all errors St. Paul will tell us Eph. 4. 11. He gave some Apostles succeeding in full Apostolical Authority some Prophets expounders of the Prophets some Evangelists Preachers of the Gospel some Pastors and Teachers to what end For the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministry for the edifying of the body of Christ For what time Till we all come in the Union of the faith But will these secure us the next verse will tell you That we henceforth be no more children tossed to and fro and carryed about with every wind of Doctrine by the sleight of men and cunning craftiness whereby they lye in waite to deceive Gods intent then was to provide such means for mankinde as might secure them in their beleif in every Age that they might not be deceived by the cunning craft of false Teachers such as now think themselves able by pretending inward Lights Private Spirits and evidence of Scripture by themselves Interpreted to teach us a doctrine contrary to all those who for almost fifteen Ages before them have been and none others teaching a contrary Faith can be named who have been the Apostles Prophets Evangelists Pastours and Teachers in the Visible Church of Christ In the last place I shall urge that Text of St. Paul to Timothy 1. Tim. 3. 15. The Church of the Living God the Pillar and ground of Truth And may we not securely rely upon that Pillar which God hath erected for us and found our Faith upon that Ground of truth which the God of all truth hath given us for that end To elude their plain and evident Texts I know you are wont to say in the first place that they may have other Interpretations and therefore this is not the truth But will not the same reason hold the Apostles cited many Texts of Scriptures and interpreted them so as to prove Christ the Messias and his Doctrines to be true whereas those Texts might have had other interpretations therefore the Interpretation put on them by the Apostles were not true Who sees not the weakness of this Argument Can you shew with any assurance that these Texts are not capable of these interpretations If not then according to your own principles these interpretations may be true for you who say the contrary are not infallible but may be mistaken Another answer which you use to give is that you are willing to agree that so long as the Church of Christ teacheth conformable to Scripture she is infallible and so long as she doth her Duty she may and ought to be beleived But this is as weak as the former for who sees not that it gives the Church no more priviledge nor allowes it to have any more benefit from these promises then the Divel hath for so long as he teacheth conformable to Scripture he may be beleived A straw may be a Pillar until it bends and Quick-sands sure ground until they yield What assurance can we have that the Holy Apostles did their duty in writing what the Holy Ghost did dictate unto them For if they did not their writings are not to be beleived consequently we are not nor can we be infallibly secure that the Scriptures which we have were dictated by and are by Inspiration from God If you can answer this so as to be secure that the Apostles did their duty the same will be our answer that the present Visible Catholick Church of Christ at all times doth her Duty The fift Argument is that the Church of God was this Rule and Judge this only means to convey Faith and this infallible Guide and Authority when our Blessed Saviour was alive and before the New Testament was written and also in the Apostles times both before and after the whole New Testament was written If not I obliege you to shew some evident Text which proves certainly that after the New Testament was written the Church in the Apostles time was deprived of this priveledge and Authority and that it had been no sinne then to oppose or not submit to the guidance direction government and authority of the Apostles But if notwithstanding this you shall without giving any other Reason insist that the Apostles were this infallible Rule and Judge in their times only until the Canon of Scriptures was finished and then lost their Authority when they had compleated the Canon I pray consider what will be the consequence in case it stands proved that the Canon of Scripture which they finished is now uncompleated by the loss of those Epistles and parcels of the Apostles writings which I have proved to be lost Will it not follow that for the same Reason that an infallible living rule and Judge was necessary before the Canon was compleat the same is now necessary some part
cannot be profitable to work Faith in those who cannot read who are the far greater part of mankind Thirdly this cannot be the sence of these words because they would then have excluded Christ Jesus himself and after him his Apostles from being the Infallible means by which true faith was to be taught to the world and who were doubtless in their time the infallible Judges for the deciding of all Controversies and the determining true Faith from false Opinions and to whose judgements all upon pain of Damnation were to submit The second Reason urged for sole Scripture was 2 Tim. 3. v. 15. 16. From a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through Faith which is in Christ Jesus All Scripture is given by Inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine for Reproof for Correction for Instruction in Righteousness that the man of God may be perfect thoroughly furnished to all good works But I found that neither would this Text so much and indeed so totally relyed upon serve as a proof for what it was pretended namely to prove that the Scripture alone was the way the Rule the Means the governing power appointed by God to judge and to decide all doubts and to teach us the true Faith and the true way to Heaven with certainty The Reasons why this Text would not prove this were these First that which is spoken there of Scriptures is that they were able through or by faith in Christ Iesus to make wise and that they are profitable to the ends there mentioned But this Profitable is not sole sufficient and this Able through or by Faith is not solely able but supposeth Faith already and therefore pretends not that they are the means preceding faith to beget faith It was agreed by all that the Scriptures to one that had faith already and to the Man of God who would submit to such Interpretations of Scriptures as God should teach him and hold forth unto him by that Authority which God had appointed to Guide Rule Teach and Govern him and to whom God had appointed him to submit were extreamly profitable and able to make him wise unto salvation But to one who had not the faith and who did not already beleive them to be the word of God they were no way useful or profitable for faith comes by hearing not by reading Secondly those Scriptures here meant were those which St. Timothy had known from his youth which were the Old Testament only consequently by this Rule they are solely sufficient consequently the New Testament at the best not necessary nor the Preaching of Christ or the Apostles nor the Sacraments of the New Testament so that this Scripture either proves too much if admitted in the sence for which it is produced or it proves nothing to this purpose Thirdly the word All Scripture must signifie either every Scripture as the Original word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ought to be rendred or All the Scriptures that ever were or All the Scriptures that were when this Text was written or All the Scriptures that we now have If it be every Scripture then it proves too much and consequently nothing to the present intent for then all the Scriptures save only one book are useless If it be All that ever were we have them not as I shall shew hereafter consequently our rule is maymed and God hath not given us sufficient means for the ends proposed If All the Scriptures that were when this Text was written then at least all that have been written since were superfluous at least not necessary If All that we now only have and that the Apostle foresaw what would come to our hands in England I would gladly have some assurance why the Text must be thus understood and no otherwise In fine if from those words of our dearest Lord These things I say that ye might be saved Joh. 5. 34. We are not to conclude that those very words or things then spoke were sole sufficient for Salvation but only that they were conducing to our salvation so from neither of the Texts before urged or any other that can be urged can we conclude that the Scriptures are solely sufficient but only that they are conducing to our salvation and that the directions therein included if followed truly and according to the intent of the Holy Gost are able to make him who is already a good Christian wise unto salvation And now that I clearly found that no Arguments which were urged for the sole sufficiency of Scripture and to prove that the Scripture alone is this infallible judge or rule or means appointed by God as aforesaid did prove the Scriptures to be so or satisfie the point for which they were produced I resolved to see what could be said against this common general Opinion of all who oppose the Church of Rome why the Scriptures could not be this Rule and Judge The first reason that I found was that it did never yet appear to answer this end for those who pretend the most to consult the Scriptures do most of all men disagree in matters of faith and in interpreting these Scriptures Luther the first beginner of Protestants gathered a Flock of followers which divided into several other sub-divisions contradicting each other So Iohn Calvin raysed a party in Geneva of whom Luther saith expresly Tom. 7. Fo. 380. I scarce ever read of a more deformed Heresy which presently in the beginning was divided into so many heads such a number of Sects not one like another and such variety and disagreeing of Opinions And have we not divisions enough in this poor Kingdome and amongst those who call themselves Protestants Are there not besides the Church of England which I pretend not to treat of because established Presbyterians Independents Anabaptists Fifth Monarchy men Quakers c. Maintaining Doctrines contrary to each other Do not all or most of these pretend the Scriptures alone to be the Rule and Judge and doth this Rule or Judge answer the end for which they pretend it was delivered to the World I remember it is excellently well inferred by the Learned Author of the Book Intituled Fiat Lux That it is impossible for any one of these partyes which I must now crave leave to call Sects with reason to censure or condemn any of the others although never so different from themselves even in points by them esteemed fundamentals since each of them have their uncontroulable Plea for themselves that their faith is in every respect conformable to what they understand to be the true sence and meaning of the Scriptures which they all agree to be the sole and only Rule and Judge Nay which of these Parties can deny the others the Title of Protestant or convince them of Heresy since to be a Protestant no more is required or if it be I would gladly know what it is then to admit of the Scriptures interpeted according
to their best understandings and Consciences to be the sole and only rule of Faith and judge of controversies is not he that professeth to follow this principle allowed by all to be a perfect good Protestant though never so much differing in faith from others who make the same profession Good God hast thou told us that Heresies must be and yet left us without all possibility of convincing or condemning them or knowing who are and who are not Hereticks But those who pretend this Rule and Judge to be Scripture do in truth as little intend it as any who oppose them for if they will please but to speak their consciences clearly it would soon appear that it is not the Holy Scriptures which byass them but their own private reasons puting private sences and glosses upon those Scriptures which were easily quitted if they would once give themselves the liberty to see how easy it is for their reason to erre in divine things which are as far above the reach of reason as Heaven is above the Earth as it is for the same reason to mistake so much in humane affairs as we see it to do The second reason was that the Letter of Scriptures was to be construed and applyed by men wherefore as mens Judgements and interests differ so will their Expositions of written words from hence differing sences will be raysed and from thence different faiths For Example If I were to dispute against an Arrian and to prove that God the Father and God the Son are of the same substance I should urge that Text Joh. 10. 30. I and my Father are one thing And by this according to my judgement I should think I had proved the question But then my Arrian comparing this with Joh 17. 22. Where Christ prayeth to his Father that his Disciples might all be one thing as thou Father in me and I in thee concludes that this One or One thing in both these Texts are to be intended One in Affection not in substance for saith he it can never be understood that Christ intended to pray that his Disciples might be One in substance If I should urge the Arrian farther and say that the Council of Nice gave the same interpretation which I do to the Text which I urge he would answer as Protestants generally do that he hath a Worthy esteem of Councils and Fathers so far as they agree with Scriptures but he doth not think them infallible he beleives they may mistake and therefore where he finds them disagreeing with the Word of God he must contradict them all The third Reason which I thought forcible was that those who are thus far from for the sole Scriptures do not say that One or any perticular number of the Books of Scriptures but All the works of Scripture which were written by Inspiration of God do being joyned together make up this Rule and Judge to be a compleat Rule and Judge I concluded therefore if any of these Books be now lost this Rule is not perfect and then Man is left by God without means to beleive consequently must be damned for that which is not his fault Now that many of these books are lost I found clear from those which remain there is mentioned Num. 21. v. 14. The Book of the Warrs of the Lord. This is lost It is said of Solamon 1 Kings 4. 3. 2. That he spoke three thousand Proverbs and his Songs were a thousand and five I conceive some of these upon a just reckoning will be observed to be wanting We find named 2 Chron. 9. 29. The book of Nathan the Prophet the Prophecy of Ahijah and the Visions of Iddo These are lost as also those named 1 Chro. 29. 29. The book of Samuel the book of Nathan the book of God It is clear from Mat. 27. 9. That part of Ieremy is lost for that Evangelist cites a Text of Ieremy not to be found in any of Ieremies books which we have So also are the Books of that Prophet mentioned Matt. 2. 23. who foretold that Christ should be called a Nazarene We shall find by 1 Cor. 5. 9. That the Epistle which our Canon calls St. Paul's first Epistle to the Corinthians was not truly his first to them for there he saith I wrote to you in an Epistle not to company with Fornicators wherefore if he hid the written an Epistle to them this was not his first to them St. Paul wrote also an Epistle from Laodicea which he mentions thus Col. 4. 16. Read the Epistle from Laodice It seems there was something in it which was material yet we do not find that Epistle the conclusion I think falls out very naturally The fourth Reason was this nothing can be a sole sufficient Rule to all or the only way and means to convey Divine and infallible Faith to all or a Judge to whose Sentence all are to submit on pain of Damnation which cannot be certainly and truly understood by all But the Scriptures cannot be certainly understood by all Nay they are very subject to be desperately misunderstood if you beleive the second Epistle of St. Peter and beleive it we must for it is Gods word 2 Pet. 3. 16. where speaking of all St. Pauls Epistles in general he saith In which are some things hard to be understood which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest as they do also the other Scriptures unto their own destruction It is in vain to say that the Scriptures are easy in Fundamentals and in what concerns our salvation for we have here a testimony that they are hard and wrested by the unlearned and unstable to their destruction that is to their Damnation Now if they were only hard in things not appertaining to Salvation the wresting of such things could not bring men to Destruction It followes that they cannot be a safe and infallible secure Rule nor indeed any Rule at all the ignorant who are infinitely the greater part of those for whom Christ dyed The fift Reason is this if the Scriptures that is the writings of the Prophets Evangelists and Apostles c. be this Rule and Judge it can only be meant of their true Authentical and Original writings not of corrupted copies Therefore if we have not their true Originals our Rule is imperfect Observe what the most learned Protest Chamier saith in this perticular of Scripture Translations We acknowledge them to be made but by a private Spirit as far as every mans judgement skilfulness in Languages dilligence and sincerity were able to reach Therefore there is none either in our own tongue or in any other unto which we think meet to subiect either our selves or other men As for Translations the sence of Protestants is this that all of them of what standing name or credit soever they be and with what diligence sincerity or Learning soeuer they were made are only so far certain as they agree with the first Context I mean as far as they express
informs us 6. It is necessary to know that the very Copies and Translations of the Scriptures which we have upon which we ground our selves are certainly true for if they are not we build upon uncertainties and consequently have no sure foundation for our Faith yet we cannot be assured nor have so much as any information as to this perticular from the Scriptures 7. It is necessary that the many manifest controversies about the true sence of Scripture should be decided because where two contrary sences are imposed or urged and both affirmed to be the meaning of God and his Revelation one only can be true and he who refuseth to beleive that which is true shall be damned yet these controversies cannot be decyded by Scripture 8. It is necessary to know what is purely and absolutely necessary to salvation to be beleived and what not that is as you say what is fundamental and what not fundamental and to be informed of this plainly lest we err and thereby be damned but in this the Scripture is silent 9. It is necessary to beleive that God the Father is not begotten ' that God the Son is not made but begotten by his Father only That God the Holy Ghost is neither made nor begotten but doth proceed and that from the Father and the Son That Christ is of one substance with the Father and that these three are One and that One Three I refer to consideration whether all these points be plainly and clearely to be found in Scripture if they were it had been almost impossible for so many divisions to have hapned about them as have done amongst persons on all sides admitting the Scriptures to be the word of God 10. It is necessary the Church of England saith that Infants should be Baptised that women should receive the Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist that Christians should observe the Lords day yet none of these points are clearly or perticularly proved by Scripture 11. It is a Sin and as the Generality of Christians agree an Heresy to Re-baptise any one who hath been Baptised by an Heretick where doth the Scripture say so That there are in the Scriptures several places which seem Contradictions and consequently some part of the Scriptures seem untrue is easily proved and I shall here give you some few plain Instances for example to which many more might be added 1. In the 2. Kings C. 8. v. 26. You read thus Two and twenty years old was Ahazia when he began to reigne and he reigned one year in Ierusalem and his mothers name was Athaliah the daughter of Omri But in 2 Chron. c. 22. v. 2. You will read thus Forty and two years old was Ahazia when he began to reign and he reigned one year in Ierusalem his mothers name was Athaliah the daughter of Oâ—…ri Now against the infallibility of Scripture Reason convinceth her self to have this infallible demonstration viz. No one who speaketh two things the one contrary to the other can be said to be infallible in speaking but to affirm of the same person that he began to reign when he was two and twenty years old and that he was two and forty years old when he began to reigne is to speak two things the one contrary to the other therefore saith Reason the Scripture is not infallible in speaking 2. In St. Matthews Gospel Chap. 1. v. 17. you read thus All the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations and from David till the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations Now if you please to consider that three fourteens must make forty and two and then please to reckon up all the persons named you shall find them demonstrably to be but one and forty and no more which is but two fourteens and one thirteen Now Reason asketh whether this can be infallibly true 3. In St. Lukes Gospel Ch. 3. v. 35. 36. you shall read thus Salah which was the son of Cainan which Cainan was the son of Arphaxad if you read Ge. c. 11. 12. you shall not find that Cainan was the Son of Arphaxad as St. Luke saith but that Arphaxad lived five and thirty years begat Salah Now according to St. Luke this Salah was the son of Cainan not of Arphaxad ' If it be answered that Salah was Arphaxads son because Arphaxad was his Grandfather I pray observe that Arphaxad is said to have begotten him and that when he was five and thirty years old And if you remark that Chapter in Genesis no one is said to have had a son before he was thirty years old But the greatest difficulty will be here It is said Arphaxad lived five and thirty years and begat Cainan If then Arphaxad was Granfather to Salah because he begat Cainan when he was five thirty years old in which year of his age he begat Salah then Salah his Grandchild and Cainan his son must be both born in the same year which saith Reason is impossible Now if Scripture can determine all controversies I hope you will shew me how to solve these difficulties by the Scripture which how to do I profess most seriously I do not understand The seventh Reason which I found against this Opinion of sole Scripture was that if the Scriptures had been appointed by God for this end of being our sole Rule Guide and Judge in all our doubts and the sole means to bring faith unto our souls they would have been so in the Apostles times at least after all the books of the New Testament were written but that they were so we do not find for then the Authority of the Apostles must have ceased so soon as they had made an end of Writing which I beleive no one will say much less prove And then even in the times of the Apostles if a controversie had arisen touching the true sence of any Text no address should have been to the Apostles to decide the doubt but to the book which every one must have judged though in opposition to the then present interpretation of the Apostles if they had then taken upon them to explain their own writings which to say I think will appear sufficiently absurd to all men Nay if the Scriptures had been intended for this it must have followed in all probability that our Lord Christ would have left his own law and doctrines in writing under his own hand which he hath not done at least he would have obleiged all his Apostles to write which he did not that we know of It should also follow that to write had been the chief part of the Apostles Ministry consequently that most part of the Apostles neglected to perform the chiefest part of their Ministry were negligent to do that which above all things was their duty will any of you presume to affirm this yet if you speak consequently it will be hard to avoid it The last