will do tnem any good that there is no prius and posterius in the belief of the infallibilities of the Scriptures and of the Church because there is no posterius that of the Church being none at all Fifthly nor are the words and doctrine of our teachers and ministers to be looked upon as an infallible rule of divine faith A private Christian ought to be very observant of his Pastour the Scripture every-where calls for it he is to reverence him as his spirituall Father to obey him as his governour to follow him as his guide yet no farther then he ha's the Scripture for his warrant Be ye followers of me saith the Apostle as I am of Christ 1 Cor. 11.1 The words of a godly and able pastour are of great authority as of one that for his fidelity would not willingly for a world lead souls into errour and for his ability hath a greater measure of the spirit of discerning joyned with the advantages of acutenesse of parts much study and reading and long experience therefore must he be heard with reverence not rashly dÃsbelieved nor his doctrine rejected unlesse upon examination we find it to be condemned by the Scriptures Among humane authorities such an ones testimony is of very great weight but a divine faith will digge till it come to the rock of infallibility before it build which is not to be found save in that holy breath of the unchangeable Spirit which is the Scriptures Sixthly therefore the onely true adequate and infallible rule of divine faith is the holy Scripture this is that {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} this is that balance of the sanctuary wherein faith weighs and tries all mens doctrines before it entertain them That this was infallibly inspired by the Holy Ghost is granted on all sides and that it may be known to be such may sufficiently appeare by what hath been already said That it is and ought to be the rule of faith might be fully and at large demonstrated but since it hath already devoured all the other pretended rules as Aaron's rod did those of the Egyptian Sorcerers and because I would not be prevented in that which lies before me I shall content my self briefly to have pointed at an argument or two and so passe on to what remains But first give me leave to premise onely thus much that whereas some of our Divines make Scripture the judge others the rule of controversies I conceive by a little distinguishing both may be admitted and that the Scripture is both Judge and Sentence the Law Rule and Principle of faith The holy Ghost in Scripture is the Judge Every truth exprest in Scripture is a definitive Sentence when ever it se lf is called in question and in respect of truths deducible from it it is a Law and Principle in respect both of truths formally contained in it and rightly deducible from it it is and may be truly called a Rule or canon of faith and life a rule to try and examine doctrines by and this I shall prove briefly in three words thus 1. The Bereans are commended by the holy Ghost for making the Scripture the rule and trying doctrines by it and that such doctrines as were delivered by the immediate assistence of the holy Spirit as was said before 2. The Scripture is the rule according to which men ought to preach and therefore also ought their doctrine to be examined by it To the Law and to the Testimony if they speak not according to this word it is because there is no morning-light in them Isaiah 8. 20. and 1 Tim. 6. 3. These things teach and exhort and if any man teach otherwise or any other thing {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} and consent not to wholesome words even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ and to the doctrine which is according to godlinesse he is proud knowing nothing c. See also Deut. 13. v. 1 2 3. and in the 12. Rom. 6. Let us prophesie according to the analogy or proportion of faith by which is usually understood the doctrine contained in the Scriptures But that is a remarkable place Gal. 1.8 9. if we or an angel from heaven if any man preach any other Gospel than what ye have received let him be accursed 3. The Scripture is the rule by which we must be judged at the last day therefore ought it to be the rule of our faith and life here Rom. 2. 16. God shall judge the secrets of men according to my gospel and this we may be sure of that that must needs be suitable to God's will accepting and approving which is agreable and according to the same will commanding and prescribing faith and duty to us which is revealed in his word But this truth having been so much insisted upon by our writers and being so well known as it is I forbear further inlargement on it at the present The Scripture then is the onely rule of faith And though some would admit of something else for a secondary rule for my part I see not how that can be admitted for if that same supposed secondary rule do exactly accord with the Scripture then is it not another and so not a secondary rule but if it swerve never so little from it then is it false and erroneous and not fit to be a rule at all but take it at the best it is but regula regulanda a rule that must be tried it self and who will choose to measure with a Carpenters rule when he hath the standard by him The Scripture is the rule and the standard by which all doctrines may and must be tried by arraigning them before the tribunall of the Spirit in the Scriptures but it will not be amisse to draw forth of Scripture a character or two to judge of doctrines by 1. The first shall be that of Paul but lately mentioned good doctrine must be according to the analogy and proportion of faith There is a {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} an {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} and a {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} spoken of in Scripture a body of divine truth as I may call it between the parts and members whereof there is an exact harmony symmetry and proportion as therefore in the natural body a member would become monstrous should it exceed its due proportion to the other its fellow-members so is it here We must therefore carefully compare a doctrine concerning one article with the truth concerning others and for instance so speak of the unity of God's essence as not to impair the Trinity of persons so treat of the justice of God as not to let it devoure his mercy and so to advance his mercy as not to violate his justice since he is so said to be love 1 John 4. 8. as that he is also called a consuming fire Heb. 12. 29. Let a man study a single point
interpretationis as they were Pastours of the Church and while they conferred together seeking God they were in the use of the best means to find out truth and under a promise also but not of infallibility and therefore although we cannot make them the rule of our faith yet ought we not rashly to reject them when they are offered to us nor to slight their judgements as if they were nothing worth but seriously to examine their reasons and grounds on which they went We honour the Fathers as men whom God's providence raised up and indued with gifts to quell the growing heresies of their times and doubtlesse if they were more lookt into they would furnish us with tried weapons armour approved to subdue the self-same heresies risen again among us in these our dayes and prove as successefull as that stratagem of the Scythians was who put their rebel-slaves to flight by but shewing them the rods where with they had been wont to whip them But though we honour the Fathers yet we dare not worship them we may not believe in them nor make their writings the rule of our faith This is that which themselves did never desire but forbid and abhorre the thought of they seem to say to us Stand up for we also were but men subject to like infirmities with you {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Worship God believe in him I doubt not but they that mended many faults in their own writings left some behind and I wish others had not added more We admit them as witnesses but not as a rule since they also were but fallible The Church of Rome ha's boasted so long of the Fathers till at length they grow almost weary of it At first they had like to have put the Centuriatours out of countenance but afterwards Bishop Jewell was so bold as to challenge them in a Sermon at Paul's Crosse afterward printed and to offer that if they could produce any one ancient Father General Councel or example of the Primitive Church for the first six hundred yeares that sided with them against us in any one of 27 articles by him named and in controversie between us he would subscribe to them This challenge Dr. Humfryes thought was more than he needed to have made yet having made it he made it good against Harding and yet died a Protestant and this was no more than we all promise sayes learned Dr. Whitakar against Campian's fifth reason So that the Jesuite needed not to have arrogated to the Church of Rome that priviledge of the Jews Whose are the Fathers and Malone might have spared his scurrilous title-page against the Reverend and learned Primate Though you have ten thousand USHERS yet have ye not many FATHERS We boast not of ten thousand but are glad that we have one worth ten thousand of their Popish-Fathers and as many head-masters of their schools to boot But we hope we have the Fathers with us and I am sure we honour them more than they and yet make them not the rule of our faith neither They honour them not as Fathers but as Lords and Masters as Peter Cotton was wont to call him My Lord St. Austin At servum scis te genitum blandéque fateris Dum dicis dominum Sosibiane Patrem Let them therefore be the vassals if they please while we are the true and genuine sonnes of those ancient Fathers And yet some of the Papists to say the truth cared not overmuch for the judgement of the Fathers when it made against them Cardinal Cajetan will not fear to go against the generall torrent of all the ancient Doctours for which Canus indeed blames him but then Andradius takes his part and I am sure what Cajetan said was no other than what was put in practise by Maldonate Jansenius and divers others Fourthly Nor is the judgement or testimony of the Church a sufficient rule of divine faith The Papists cry up the Church as much as the Jews of old did the Temple but by the Church they mean their own which by that time the Jesuites have done with it is nothing else but the Pope But wee 'll keep their tearm the Church whose testimony they say is infallible and necessary to a divine faith of any one article in religion and although de-Valentia and Canus would fain mince the matter and make it onely necessary as a condition yet that will not serve the Romanists turn which Bellarmine and a-Sacro-bosco knew well enough and therefore make the testimony of the Church necessary as a medius terminus and Cause of assent in all divine faith and so they must say or come over to us Now infallibility as it is required to a rule of doctrine is nothing else but the constant assistance of the holy Ghost which the Papists require a man to believe that their Church hath before he can believe so much as that there is an holy Ghost for that 's one article of faith none of which say they can be believed without the infallible testimony of their Church Wee 'l leave the Jesuites to distinguish themselves out of this contradiction if they can and i' th' mean while let us examine their proofs They offer us Tradition for proof but for them to go about to prove the Churche's infallibity from the tradition of the Church is to beg the question Let them first convince us that the Church is infallible as it gives the tradition and then wee 'l spare them any further pains to prove that it is infallible They often attempt to prove it to us by Scripture by which very practise they do but condemn themselves For First then it seems the Scriptures infallibility may be first known before and without the believing of the Churches infallibility quod minimè vellent for then the latter may be spared And secondly hereby once for all they appeal to mens private judgements and that in a point on which their whole cause turns and if they think the Scriptures so cleare for the Churche's infallibility that a private Christian may discern it I do appeal to themselves whether many other articles be not laid down more clearly in Scripture we say all Well but it may be some will say the Churches infallibility is first known before we know the Scriptures to be infallible I say then 1. let them prove it 2. why do they go about to prove it by Scripture 3. let them avoid the above-named contradiction Or if they 'l be willing to draw stakes with us and have neither the infallibility of the one nor of the other to be first believed Then first let them never more quote Scripture for the Churche's infallibility Secondly let them not require us to prove the Scriptures by the testimony of the Church Thirdly they must give us leave to fetch all the articles of our faith immediately from the Scriptures without the midwifry of their Porphyry-chair and then wee 'l casily grant them if it
John chap. 4. vers. 1. Believe not every spirit but try the spirits whether they be of God it commends the practise of this duty in the Bereans Acts 17. 11. where 't is said of them that they were {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} more nobly-spirited than those of Thessalonica for that they searched the Scriptures dayly whether those things were so as the Apostles preached notwithstanding they were assisted by an infallible spirit It was not any slownesse in them to believe which made them examine but an holy prudence for so the words are They received the word with all readinesse of mind and searched the scriptures daily whether those things were so they received them readily and yet searched making no more hast then good speed But Bellarmine thinks to take off the edge of this place of Scripture by this distinction The Bereans were but beginners and had not yet entertained the faith and therefore might examine but such as are already Christians and believe the Churche's infallibility are bound to believe the doctrine it proposeth without examination I answer first by way of concession that as many as believe the Churches infallibility are bound consequently to believe whatever she propounds as farre as an errour can bind them But secondly If all be beginners but those that believe that truly for our parts We Protestants do professe our selves to be Bereans and therefore I hope he will give Us leave to examine their doctrine in the balance of the Sanctuary and so we have and found it light And thirdly is Bellarmine sure the Bereans were not believers when they searched since they received the word with all readinesse of mind and then 't is added and searched the Scriptures daily whether those things were so But fourthly If they were not I wonder how men before they beleive should be better able to judge than afterwards and how they should come to loose that power and priviledge by beleiving Besides these there are many other Scriptures which do ex consequenti not onely permit but also require to try the doctrines before we entertain them as Matth. 24. 4. where our Saviour bids See that no man seduce you and the Apostle Paul in Ephes. 5. 6. Let no man deceive you with vain words and 2 Thessal 2. 3. Let no man deceive you by any means To what purpose are all these monitory cautions if we may not try nay do they not implicitly require and command us to try and examine the doctrines whoever they be that bring them S. Paul is bold in Gal. 1. 8 9. Though we or an Angel from heaven should preach any other Gospel let him be {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} And that you may see that this expression proceeded neither from rashnesse nor passion but a most advised and well resolved deliberation he repeats the words in the verse following As we said before so say I now again If any preach any other Gospel unto you than that you have received let him be accursed Whence I observe these two things to my present purpose first that there must be an examen else how could they know it was another Gospel and so reject it and secondly that the hearers as such and not teachers were to be the judges unlesse wee 'l say they were bound to curse themselves But the truth in hand may be further evidenced to us by reason thus Because we must neither embrace all doctrines nor reject all nor take some such as come next no nor the truth it self upon slight grounds therefore we must examine 1. We must not reject all for so we shall be sure to reject the truth and besides we do ow so much reverence to the name of God as not rashly to reject without examen any doctrine that hath but an appearance of any just pretence unto it 2. Nor may we embrace all promiscuously for so we shall be sure to be in the wrong and I see not how possibly the soul can at the same time assent unto contradictions and yet such there are found among opinions 3. Nor in the third place may we take up a certain number of opinions as they come next to hand as they are offered to us by the place where we live or the next comer by for so there will be great danger of falling into errour and truth is of more concernment to us than that we should adventure it upon the hazard of such a contingency 4. Nor lastly may we entertain truth it self if we should happen on it on so slight grounds if we take no better hold of it we shall never be able to hold it fast If we build upon such a sandie foundation how do we think to stand when the winds and waves of temptation and persecution shall arise It remains therefore that we must examine that so we may both refuse the evil and also hold fast that which is good And for the further quickning of us unto this duty I shall propound onely two considerations and very briefly First Let us seriously consider what great danger there is in being deceived our souls ate at the stake no lesse than the everlasting good of our souls is concerned in it for errour in understanding begets errour in life and practise and the Scripture tells us of damnable heresies and what ever some may think of speculative errours yet surely as they proceed from that maim in the understanding which is the effect of original sinne and as they are cherished and abetted by corruption in the will they are sinns and make us guilty For the actions of the understanding as well as of the other faculties are {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} under the law of God and the will shall answer at God's tribunal for not putting the understanding to school to Scripture as well as for not bridling the passions and not governing the outward man Since then there is such danger in errour as you have heard had we not need be carefull had we not need examine especially considering What danger there is of being deceived which is the second consideration For first the best are subject to errour themselves and so may though unwittingly and unwillingly be means of seducing others who do not examine and then their godlinesse and learning which were wont to keep them from errours will become arguments to draw others into them But then secondly how many false prophets deceivers and seducers are there in the world who make it their designe and purpose to deceive MANY shall come in my name faith our Saviour Matth. 24.5 and shall deceive many and Many false prophets ARE gone out into the world 1 John 4. 1. and that which makes them the more dangerous they are indefatigably industrious in their way compassing the earth with their master and compassing sea and land to make a proselyte Which they do the more easily effect by reason of the craft and
even unto obstinacy though brayed in a mortar they will not part with them It is said of the Pharisees and their traditions Mark 7.4 {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} they received them to hold them fast they took them with a resolution not to let them go for better for worse Zeal is good in a good matter but this their holding fast is to their own mischief as a sinking man holds fast the weeds that help to drown him 3. This reproves those that hold and it is good which they hold but they do not hold it fast all wavering and inconstant persons But these also I have already spoken something to in the aforegoing part of my discourse Use 2. I will therefore conclude all with a word of exhortation which yet I perceive is nothing else than what I have been doing all this while I will adde onely to what hath been said a motive or two and a few means or directions 1. Motive 1 The first motive let be the consideration of our own concernment how much it is our interest to hold fast that which is good Truth is our treasure and a wise man doth not use to be over easily perswaded to part with that 'T is our possession a man will sue hard before he will suffer himself to be ejected out of his inheritance 'T is our evidence our evidence for a Kingdome and shall we not look carefully to it It is our fortresse while we keep that that will preserve us like Ulysses his mast tie our selves fast to it and we shall be safe yea 't is our life as Solomon of wisdome keep her for she is thy life our eternal salvation depends upon our holding of it If we give over believing he that believes not shall be damned If we grow weary of well-doing without holinesse no man shall see God If any love not Christ and his truth let him be anathema If any man deny them before men him will Christ deny before his Father which is in heaven It is abundantly then our manifold interest to hold fast that which is good 2. Hold truth fast considering the danger we are in of loosing it in respect of deceivers who would cheat us of it and juggle it from us in respect of open enemies that would by force wrest it from us The Devil goes about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devoure And as at all times we had need to hold fast the truth so especially in times of seduction and apostasie in times of temptation and in time of persecution we had need to double our guards when the Enemy is at hand But of this before 3. Let us consider how the Lord Jesus Christ stands affected towards his truth and such as adhere unto it We may see both in his speech to the Church in Pergamos Rev. 2.13 Thou holdest fast my name and hast not denied my faith Even in those dayes when Antipas was my faithfull martyr who was slain among you where Satan dwelleth Observe how he doth aggrandise and amplisie their faithfulnesse to him and his truth from the consideration of time and place they adhered to him in times of persecution and in a most dangerous place where Satan dwelleth He that was wont to go about like a roaring lion and to go to and fro up and down the earth had now it seems taken up in Pergamos resolving to make that the seat of his tyranny where he would display the bloudy ensignes of his rage and cruelty and yet in this very place there were not wanting those who under his nose and to his very teeth did professe themselves the sworn servants of Christ and truth and his utter enemies What an honour was this to christ who maintained himself a Church in Satans own Imperial city and how kindly doth he take it from those who at such a time and in such a place did stick so close unto him and to his truth Which he calls my faith and my name he can as soon forget his own name and neglect his own glory as his truth But then how feelingly how pathetically doth he remember and even by name make mention of Antipas In those dayes when Antipas was my faithfull martyr c. In those dayes he keeps an exact account of the time and makes Antipas his death the Epocha to compute other things by when Antipas he had kept Christ's name and you see Christ keeps his he had born witnesse and set his seal unto Christ's truth and Christ wears him as a signet upon his right hand and engraves him upon the palms of his hands he is neare and deare unto him Christ knows him and calls him by name Antipas my faithfull martyr O what a pang of affection was there Sirs I am not able to conceive it much lesse expresse it I beseech you assist me with your thoughts and supply by your meditations what my expression cannot reach Antipas my faithfull martyr Pretious in the sight of the Lord is the death of all his Saints and blessed are they that die in the Lord but much much more pretious is their death and thrice happy are all they whom the Lord calls forth and inables to die for his sake and to lay down their lives in witnesse-bearing to his truth I wonder no longer that the Primitive Christians were so ambitious of martyrdome who would not be martyr many times over to have such a testimoniall such an affectionate commemoration from his blessed Saviour which will afterwards be seconded with an {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} well fought My sonne and with that Euge bone serve fidelis well done good and faithfull servant enter thou into thy masters joy So much for motive now a few directions which I will but name leaving them to be enlarged by your own private meditations 1. That thou maist be sure to hold fast take thy hold on that rock of diamonds the holy Scriptures for sand will crumble and wash away 2. Make sure of heaven and then sufferings will be light Facile est quidvis suadere persuasis mori Let me say paratis mori They will not fear shipwrack who have sent their souls before and ensured them in heaven that man need not fear death whose life is hid with Christ in God 3. Turn all traitours out of thy heart which else will betray both truth and thee Such are lusts hypocrisie by-respects curiositie carelesnesse Get thy self cured of thy natural levity and slipperinesse it is good that the heart be established with grace 4. Hold not too fast your own prejudicate opinions if you mean to hold truth fast or indeed to entertain it For then non persuaseris etiamsi persuaseris They do but pretend to be suitours unto truth who are before wedded to their own opinions 5. Fifthly and lastly grasp not the world too hard for {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} and is seldome a friend to sometimes incompetible with that which is good Catch not at honour applause profit or interest in your holding of truth these will winnow from truth sometime or other and then the dog will hunt no longer in the roade when the hare hath left it but Demas will take his leave of truth and embrace the present world I will end all in those words of the Apostle 2 Thess. 2. and the later end Therefore brethren stand fast and hold the faith which ye have been taught which ye have believed Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God even our Father which hath loved us and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace Comfort your hearts and stablish you in every good word and work CUI LAUS IN SECULA FINIS Doctr. Reas. 1. Object Answ. Reas. 2. Consid. 1. Consid 2. 1. Requisite A faculty 1. Reasonable 2. Enlightened 2â— 2â— q. 8 art 4. 3. sanctified 2. Requisite A Rule 1 Not Reason 2. Antiquity 3. Councels and Fathers Praefat. in Pentat 4. Church 5. Teachers But Scriptures Mark 1. Mark 2. Mark 3. Object 1 Answ. Object 2 Answ. Object 3 Answ. 1. Part of the text considered 1 Relatively As a caution A means An end 2. Absolutely 2. Dectr Six wayes to hold fast truth 1. Believing 2. Loving 1. Remembring 4. Practising 5. Professing 6. Contending Asa 1 Kings 15. 14. So Jehoash Amasia Azariâ— Jotham Jehoshaphal Use 1. Use 2. Direction