An example of this vse of the written word wee haue in Christe himselfe who falling into company after his resurrection with two of his disciples who were in some doubt Luk. 24.27 began at Moses saieth the texte and interpreted vnto them in all the scripture the things which were written of him And whosoeuer markes the course of the history of the Gospell shall often find that when some speciall action of Christ is recorded Marc 14 49. Ioh. 13.8 Ioh. 19.34.36 this or the like is added to it This was done that the scripture might be fulfilled which sheweth how behoofull the writing of the promises touching the Messias was to be our ground in this maine pointe that Christ Iesus is the onely appointed sauiour of mankind Heere then is the issue of my speach it was meete the word should be written that the Church might neuer want a rule of religion and in particular might be setled in this pointe that the Christ in whom we beleeue is that Sauiour whome wee neede not doubt to depend vpon Let vs make vse of this pointe The vse is this our courses considering the obedience that we owe vnto God should be answerable to Gods intents sith therfore the intent of God in giueing order for the writing of his word was the grounding and setling of our hearts in the truth of religion it becommeth vs to labour both to conceiue the doctrine of Godlines so much as is necessary to saluation and in matters that concerne the worship of God and our own soules health not to build vpon opinion conceipt or the traditions of men whatsoeuer they be but only vpon the scriptures because when we come to giue an account as wee must of our religion vnto God it shall not goe for currant I beleeued or I thought this because such a one perswaded me or because the law of the times so commāded me or because my fathers before me so thought and from them I receiued it but this answer onely shall be accepted when a man shal be able to say this This my heart hath embraced ad vppon this haue I built my faith because God blessing the ministerie of his holy word vnto me I haue plainly perceiued that it is the expresse doctrine of the written word and the very same which God hath left vpon record for me to beleeue This is the only answere that shall be then accepted of As many therefore as doe desire to haue comfort of their religion at the day of iudgement must giue great heed vnto the reading preaching of the word so in humilitie by praier be prepared to it that in their secret thoughts they may conceiue how the word of God is a warrant of their beleefe Men thinke this is a matter of impossibilitie and cast many perils the deuill helping them forward with many shifts to nouzell themselues in ignorance but still the saying of the spirit of God is true knowledge is easie to him that will vnderstand and God will alwaies giue a blessing Prou. 14.6 Psal 25.14 and reueale euen his secret as Dauid saith vnto those that feare him and will be found of those that seeke him as they ought to doe So much of this question and the vse of it whie it was meete that Gods word should be written The next question necessarie for the clearing of this place is When the word of God began first to be written how tell that time it was preserued for the vse of Gods Church Touching which wee must hold August lib. de ciui dei 15. c. 23. that Moses was the first writer of the word of God that euer was It is the opinion of some I know that Enoch the seauenth from Adam wrot something and that they thinke may be proued out of the saying of Saint Iude who alleageth some part of Enochs doctrine But Iude saith not Enoch wrot but Enoch prophesied Iud. ver 14. and it was possible for the summe of Enochs doctrine to be continued without writing Besides one Iosephus Iose Antiq. l. 1. c 3. who himselfe was a Iewe and writ of antiquities saith that Adams offspring had erected two pillars the one of brick the other of stone in which they had engrauen many things but these things are vncertaine Rom. 3.2 And that there was no part of Gods word written before Moses it may thus be gathered First because the Iewes to whome as Saint Paul saith the oracles of God were committed had not in their canon any holy writ more auncient then Moses secondly our Sauiour labouring to prooue himselfe to be the Messias Luk 24.27 the text saith he began at Moses if there had beene any author of greater antiquitie then Moses no doubt our sauiour would haue alleadged it inasmuch as all the scripture that was before him was to giue testimony of him And it is likely that God himselfe by writing the 10. Commandements extraordinarily with his owne fingers did acquaint Moses with the manner of writing and the vse of letters which for ought wee can find to the contrarie vntill that time was vnknowne If it be demanded then whether till then the church and people of God were vtterly destitute or the word I answer no for it was alwaies a truth that God would accept of no worship but that which was according to his word voluntarie religion was hatefull vnto him euen from the very first beginning Sith then it is apparent that before the word was written God was truly worshipped as by Adam Abell Enoch Noah Abraham c. it must needs be that there was some word or some reuealed and knowne wil of God to direct them If you aske how the will of God was then made knowne and how preserued I answere that the Lord reuealed it by holy oracles by visions apparitions of Angells yea and of Christ himselfe who is ordinarily meant by the name of Angell throughout the old testament At sundry times and in diuers manners God spake to our fathers in the old time saith the Apostile He spake to Moses mouth to mouth Heb. 1.2 Numb 12.8 He vsed also the ministry of man for the spreading of that truth abroad to many which by vision oracle was reuealed to few Thus the father to the sonn one to another made known the will of God But when the Church was enlarged and hauing beene shut vp in some few families began to spread it selfe into a greater compasse and with all corruption in religion encreased and the people of God by conuersing with Idolaters were more subiect to be misled the lord gaue order to write the law in processe of time added the the writings of the prophets as expositions of the law and at the last the new testament to be a full and manifest discouerer of that mistery of Christ which was more darkely as it were lapped in the types and figures and prophesies of the old So that this is the
of God only to effect Now to come a degree neerer to the matter wee must know also that the best proofes for the scripture that it is gods word are to be fetched out of it selfe for which cause it is called light Ps 119.105 v. 2.14.22 c. because it discouereth it selfe and many times the testimonies of the Lorde because it beares witnesse to it selfe The papists would haue vs stand to the Iudgment of the Church which is altogeather doubtfull for there may be as greate question made of the Church whether it be the true Church of God as of the scripture whether it be the true word of God The testimonie and authority of the Church may be some inducement to a man in this case according as Saint Austine saieth it was to him but it can be no certaine argument Know this then that there is a certaine euidence of Gods spirite as it were imprinted in the scripture which sheweth the divine excellency therof aboue all the writings of men whatsoeuer And this stands vpon sundry particulars How the script is knowne to he the word of God First the purity of the law of God written by Moses aboue all the lawes that haue bene euer enacted and deuised by the wisest men Wee read of many worthy law-giuers among the Heathen that ordained statutes of greate wisedome for the gouernment of their people yet was ther neuer any law deuised by the wit of man but it needed some reviewing and for some respect was ether to be repealed or abridged or enlarged besides that scarce any law can be so wisely framed by a state but some or other will find a shifte to doe the very thing which the intente of the law was to forbidde and yet free himselfe from the danger of the law stand vpon tearmes as if he had not brokē it It is not so in the law of God as it was first giuen out so it stands without any changing nether was there euer any found able to carrie himselfe so cunningly in the practise of any euil but this law in one respect or other would surely find him guiltie Secondly the qualitie of the matter in scripture In the writings of the Heathen wee shall find some giuen here and there of the myserie of mankind and some cold comforts taught for the releiuing it but the true opening of the direct cause of mans miserie to witte sinne and the entring in of sinne into the world by Adams fall and the perfect and full remedie for all this namely Christs death was neuer knowne or heard of but only from the scripture Thirdly the antiquitie of the scripture for the bookes of Moses are more auncient then any humane writers in that they set downe a historie from the beginning of the world a thing which other writers knew not of or els borrowed from Moses or els corrupted with many fables and ridiculous narrations Besides there is no writer of any humane story that can be prooued to be more ancient then Nehemias Ezra who were about the yeare of the world 3500. Fourthly the admirable consent of the whole body of the scripture within it selfe all conspiring together in this one point Act. 10.43 that through the name of Christ all that beleeue in him shall receiue remission of sinnes what shewes of vncertaintie and differences soeuer may appeare either in numbring of yeares or in any circumstance of historie or in any point of doctrine are so fully apparently reconciled by those which haue laboured therein that there can be no iust colour of exception Fiftly the certaine euents of the prophesies therof as of the comming of the Messias the calling of the gentiles the reuealing of Antichrist of the the going of the posteritie of Abraham into Egypt their deliuerance thence of the fower Monarchies by Daniel And it is worth the noting which wee read in Isay who speaking of the captiuity of the people of the Iewes in Chaldea doth not only prophecie their deliuerance Isay 45.1 but names the very man by whom the Lord would saue them Cyrus and yet Isay liued at the least a thousand yeares before Cyrus was borne Like vnto that was that prophecie of the man of God aginst the Altar of Bethell built by Ieroboam he names the partie Iosiah 1. King 13.2 relates the particulars what he should doe and yet it was at least 330. yeares before Iosiah was borne So Ieremy told the people the iust number of yeares in which they should be captiues vnder Babilon 70. yeares Ier. 25.11 And wee our selues if wee will obserue it may see daily how the prophesies of the scripture are accomplished Paul said in the last times men should broch doctrines of devills viz. forbidding to marry commanding to abstaine from meates 2 Tim. 3.2 we see it verefied in Popery he saith againe that in the last daies men shall be louers of themselues c. doe wee not perceiue among our selues how these euills daily doe increase he saith further the time will come when men wil not suffer wholesome doctrine we may behold how this is made good euery day 2. Tim. 4 3. There is no doctrine more wholesome then that which is applied to mens particular sinnes yet it is a thing which men will not endure Saint Peter prophesied so did Saint Iude 2. Pet. 3.3 Iud. 18. that in the last times there should be mockers men walking after there owne lusts we need nor goe farre to see the accomplishment of this prophecy How doe men despise the Iudgments of God and scoffe at all goodnes and prefer the satisfying of there owne lusts before obedience to the will of God Thus that which we our selues are witnesses of declares the certaine euents of the foretelling of the scripture and it is an assurance vnto vs that it is the word of God Sixtly the vnpartiall faithfullnesse of those that haue been enditors of the seueral books In Moses it is worth the noting how he preferreth the relating of the truth of the story Gen. 49. before the discrediting of his owne birth he was borne of the tribe of Leui yet if you read Gen. 49. you shall finde he doth not spare to report the hard sentence that old Iacob gaue of Leui at his death ver 5. Simon and Leui brethren in euill instruments of cruelty into their secret let not my soule come c chap. 12. And in Numbers he doth not spare Aaron and Miryam his owne brother and sister but hath left their sinne and the displeasure of God against it vpon perpetuall record nay he is not ashamed to reueale his owne error and how much the lord was offended with him and how for it he threatned him that he should neuer come into the promised Canaan he doth in the story many times make mention of it It is said that Saint Marke wrot the gospell out of Peters mouth and yet
and a thing very ridiculous and childish to tie a mans selfe so straite as not willingly to swarue frō the direction and warrant of the scriptures If wee be sick wee will goe first to carnall meanes last to the scripture if wee be greiued in mind and touched in conscience wee will looke for comfort any where before we will seeke it in the scripture if wee be wronged and iniured in the world wee will runne after the eggings on of our owne corrupt heart to be our owne auengers before wee will aske counsell of the scripture As in these few so almost in all other things any rules please vs better then the rules of the scripture In apparrell wee are led by the fashion in meat and drinke by our sensuall appetite in recreation by companie or by our owne in ordinate affections in dealings with men by our profit in getting riches by our vnsatiable desires these be our rules the precepts of the word of God either wee doe not know or we doe not esteeme them or wee thinke it a burden and a kind of restraint to be tied to obserue them Ier. 2.13 Thus we are like vnto those of whome God cōplaines by Ieremie They haue forsaken me saith he the fountaine of liuing waters digge themselues pittes euen broken pits that can hold no water so wee let goe the best aduise which cannot erre and deuise rules and precepts to our selues which must needes deceiue vs. To reforme this common euill let vs remember what we haue heard viz. that God hath furnished his word with varietie of directions the precepts of it are of equall largenes to our spirituall occasions as many as walke according to this rule peace shall be vpon them saith the Apostle but to euery other course whatsoeuer it be Gal. 6.16 Pro. 14.12 wee may boldly apply the saying of Salomon There is a way that seemeth right vnto a man but the issues thereof are the waîes of death And thus much of the commendation giuen to the law of God it is large in matter and abounding with varietie of doctrine Now followeth to speake of the next thing by which it commended It is pretious the value and price of the matter doth equall the largenes and varietie of it The pretiousnesse and excellencie may many waies be made knowne vnto vs first by the author of it 1. Pet. 1.25 Ps 1.2 Act 20.27 Rom. 3.2 2. Tim. 3 16. 2 Pet. 1.21 which is God for which cause it is so often called the worde of God the law of God the counsell of God the oracles of God The whole scripture was giuen saith Paul by inspiration of God And it came saith Saint Peter not by the will of man but of the holy Ghost and I haue written it saith he heere in my text So that it is no idle tale deuised as Atheists say by the witte of man to keepe the vulgar in subiection but it is the very mind of God the very expresse patterne of that truth which is originally in the foūtaine of al truth which is the lord secōdly by the matter of it the matter of scripture is in a word that great mistery of godlines of which the Apostle speaketh God manifested in the flesh c. 1. Tim. 3.16 Col. 1.27 1. Cor. 2.8 A glorious mistery A hid mistery which non of the princes of this world could know A mistery which no man by the witte of man is euer able to conceiue A mysterie which the Angells in heauen do admire and the Deuills in hell doe tremble at A misterie which the Atheists in their mouthes doe scoffe at but euen at the same time in their hearts doe quake to consider This is the matter of the scripture Iesus Christ yesterday to day the same for euer he is the yea and the amen of all the promises Heb. 13.8 2. Cor. 1.20 Reuel 1.11 the Alpha and the Omega the first and the last the pith and marrow of the whole thirdly by the stile of it Fullnesse of maiestie in simplicitie of words the like temper no where else to be found in any humane writer whatsoeuer I know that in sundry parcels of the scripture there are to be seene many more then steppes or prints of eloquence which the wisedome of God did to make vs know that he could if it had pleased him haue frettised as it were the whole volume of the booke with the excellencie of words yet generally it is so carried in such a low phrase of speache which yet doth not sauour of any earthly mould but makes a man euen as it were in despight of himselfe to admire it Thy testimonies are wonderfull saith Dauid yet in the next verse he saith the entrance into them sheweth light Psal 119.129 giueth vnderstanding so that there is a depth of misterie in plaines of words Fourthly the end of it the end of the scripture is not to please idle humors with variety of delightfull matters nether to exercise busy wits with subtilty of questions nor to be as a matter of storie only to acquaint men with the course of times nor to furnish mē with ability to discourse the word of God aimes at none of these ends which yet notwithstanding are the cheife scope and euen the happinesse of the most Authors but it driues at this one point to make a man wise vnto saluation To shew the path of life 2. Tim. 3.15 Psal 16.11 Luk. 1.79 Rom. 1.20 To guide our feete into the way of peace we may read in the great booke of the creatures as I may so call it the invisible things of god his eternall power godhead yet the knowledge of God gotten there is of no power but only to make vs inexcusable And therefore Dauid haueing spoken of the maiesty of God which appeareth euen in the creation of things Psal 19. Ver. 7. comes at last to this The law of the lord is perfect conuering the soule to shew that without the word of God though man might gaine knowledge enough to condemne him yet he could get none to saue him And so many other places hauing declared the testimonies of the power of God which are to be seene euen in the very waues of the sea Psal 93. at last he concludes the psalme O lorde thy testimonies are very sure meaning that there is no certaine and comfortable knowledge of God to be gotten but only from thence And for the same cause Christ told the woman of Samaria that they worshipped they knew not what and that the true worship was only among the Iewes Ioh. 4.22 because they only had the scriptures Now then looke how farre saluation life eternall euerlasting happinesse doe exceed all other things by so much is the doctrine of the scripture of greater price then all other doctrines then all other writings whatsoeuer Thus you see the price and exellency of the word of God pretious for