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
of the Canon being lost And what will the consequence be if it stand proved also that supposing the Canon were compleat yet it is not sufficient to decide the controversies now a foot amonst Christians in matters of Faith Will it not follow that then it is necessary to have such a Rule and Judge as is before mentioned The late Learned Dr. Ferne a great Champion for sole Scripture confesseth Sext. 27. That Indeed such a Iudge or Umpire in Christendome would if to be had be a ready means to compose all differences and to restore truth and peace But shall we think that our blessed Redeemer when he first founded his Holy Church did not see this as clearly as Dr. Ferne certainly he did and for this reason he appointed the Holy Apostles and their Successors to be this Judge and Umpire and if you desire or expect to see an end of those differences wherein ye are now involved by relying on your own private Interpretations of the Scriptures you must address your selves to this Judge and be content to stand the determination of their Umpire which is infallible I say infallible for as the Apostles though as men were subject to error in their own private affairs and actings and as such might one withstand the other and reprove the other yet were they by the assistance of Gods Holy spirit in defining and delivering matters of Faith so the Prelates of the Holy Catholick Church though as men they were fallible in their own private actings and affairs yet when assembled in a General Council with their Supream Pastor they are still made infallible in defining matters of Faith by the assistance of the same Holy Ghost who was as well promysed to them as to the Apostles The last reason is that none of the difficulties that were proposed to prove the Scriptures not to be the Rule and Judge before mentioned are capable of being objected against the Church For first this Judge and Rule is capable of answering the end for which it is appointed and proposed all who submit unto the Church agreeing in matters of Faith Secondly it is not capable of being misunderstood or misinterpreted by the various Reasons Judgements and Interests of men but is alwaies in being and capable upon demand to explain and declare its own sence and intention upon any difference arising Thirdly it is capable of being understood by All. Fourthly it is capable of being certainly known by all Fifthly it is capable of determining what plainess and clearness in every Article of Faith and hath alwaies appeared to do so to the condemation and confusion of all opposers Sixthly this was the said Rule and Judge in Christs time and in the times of the Apostles Lastly this doth not set up every individual man and woman to be a Judge and Rule unto themselves but preserves the unity of the spirit in the Bond of Peace by teaching all understandings to become Captives to this Rule and Judge appointed by God for their guidance and direction But I know there will be yet an Objection made by you of the seperation whether these Texts which speak so amply of the Church are to be understood of the Church Militant and visible in this World or of the Church Triumphant For certainly did you apprehend that God had a Church in this world that is a visible body politique distinct from that invisible Church which is Christs Mistical body Triumphant you would not as I in Charity beleive divide your selves into so many Congregations independent of each other or any other body or Government whatsoever in relation to Religion Now to satisfy you in this I shall desire you to consider Acts the 20. 28. Where the Text speaks of a Church governed by High Pastors which can only be meant of the Visible Church and that of the whole Flock or Church which Christ redeemed with his blood which cannot be meant of any perticular Congregational Church 1 Cor. 10. 32. Give none offence neither to the Iews nor to the Gentiles nor to the Church of God even as I please all men in all things where he speaks clearly of the sole and entire visible Church 1 Cor. 12. 28. where mention is made of the Governours and Priests which are extended throughout the whole visible Church only God hath set some in the Church first Apostles secondly Prophets c. and Ephes 4. 11. before cited Col. 1. 24. 25. Where Church is taken for the Militant only for St. Paul was not made a Minister of the Church Triumphant 1 Tim. 2. 15. before cited must signifie the sole and whole visible Church for no perticular Church can be stiled The pillar and ground of truth since they may fall and often have fallen from truth Iam. 5. 14. Where he speaks in general to all beleiving Christians and of a Church using visible Ceremonies and Priests or Elders which is not the Church Triumphant Mat. 16. 18. where the Church of Christ is to be built upon Peter and therefore must be meant of the visible Church Militant for it is built whilst Militant and transferred when it is Triumphant Nor can this be any other then a visible Church founded upon a visible Rock or Foundation for that Rock there spoken of is not Christ but St. Peter as the words clearly signifie for our Saviour saies upon this Rock I will build my Church immediatly after he had named St. Peter where as if he had meant himself or St Peters confession of his being the Son of the ever living God this being the remote or mediate antecedent he should have said according to Grammer and true construction and upon that Rock Besides he saies I will build my Church whereas if by Rock he had intended himself or St. Peters aforesaid confession he would have said upon this Rock I have built or I do build my Church not I will build For when our Lord spoke these words his Church was then actually built upon him and upon his being the Son of the Living God He spoke then therefore of what he intended to do and of what was to be after his Resurrection and Ascension into Heaven and promiseth here that for those future times his visible Church should be built upon St. Peter Lastly that I may speak not as to the word only but also as to the thing it self viz. The Divine constitution of the Catholick visible Church by the Ordinance of our dearest Saviour Consider 1 Cor. 12. where it is at large described by the Holy Apostle to be One body with different parts fitly disposed ordered and connected together in one and the same body Whereof One he saith is the Head and that must be as visible as the rest of the body for a visible body without a visible head would be a Monster and such a visible Head as stands in need of the foot which Christ cannot do being God and so wanting nothing And this the Apostle applies to the Apostolical
that sence which is certainly manifest and how shall that appear to be the sence of the Hebrew and Greek words he must intend here the true Originals but if they vary and swerve never so little from hence i. e. from the true Originals that sence which they give or express we judge neither to be Divine nor Authentick nor Canonical but merely humane Cham. Panstr Tom. 1. l. 1. 2. c. 2. S. 3. 5. So then we must have the true Originals or we have no perfect Rule of the Scriptures and therefore I would gladly see and speak with that man who can assure me infallibly that the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures which we have are these Originals Nay who will adventure to make Oath that these which we have do agree with the true Originals And yet if we could be secure of this I doubt it will be hard to finde any person who doth so infallibly understand the Originals as to give us a true Translation on which we may with as much infallible assurance rely as upon God interpreting And yet if this cannot be had we must confess that we are not certain whether we have this Rule pure or not Sure I am the Apostles did not translate these books into English we are so far from having St. Matthews Original that we know not in what Language it was written or whether he who translated it into Greek were an honest man or not we all agree that our English Translatours were fallible men they might be mistaken and have mistaken in multitudes of places themselves say they were careful to get the best Copies of the Hebrew and Greek they could find but were not infallibly certain that those they had were true Have we then in these a sufficent certainty to venture our soules upon supposing God to have appointed the Scriptures as our sole Rule Guide and Judge I think no man who hath any modesty or any consideration of his Souls good will say that we have But sure I am whoever shall dare to say it will never be able to prove it infallibly Give me leave to Expostulate thus with you who are for sole Scripture What Scriptures would ye have me to submit unto who am a meer English man If you say the Originals neither you nor I know where to find them If you say to such Copies as you have I ask by what Authority do you require this since they are but Copies of Copies which you cannot certainly tell me that th◅ are not corrupted since the most Learned do affirm that there are variety of these Copies in some of which whole Verses are omitted which are sound in others and that there arē at least sixteen various Greek Copies of the New Testament If you tell me I must submit to your English Translations I aske farther to which of them for they have differences also the 9. and 18. verses of the 7th Chapter of Daniel of the Geneva Translation are directly contrary to the same Verses in the Translation put forth by the command of King Iames. Nay the Ministers of the County of Lincoln in King Iames his time in their grievances delivered unto his Majesty Pag. 11. 13. 14. do say that the English Translation of the Bible takes away from the Text and adds to the Text to the changing and obscuring the very sence and meaning of the Holy Ghost Our late great Linguist M. Broughton in his Advertisements of Corruptions affirms to the then Bishops of England That their publick Translation of Scripture into English is such as that it perverts the Text of the Old Testament in 848 places and that it causeth million of millions to reject the New Testament and to run into Eternal Flames And Dr. Daniel Feately in his Treatise Entituled The Dippers Dipped hath these words pag. 1. No Translation is simply Authentical or the undoubted word of God In the undoubted word of God there can be no error but in Translations there are and may be errors The Bible Translated therefore is not the undoubted word of God but so far only as it agreeth with the Original I pray consider how you will answer when thus pressed and how you will be able to satisfie me with certainty that what you would have me rely upon and submit unto is the undoubted word of God pure and uncorrupted And by what Rule shall I with certainty satisfie my self what books those are which are the Word of God for if that be not known I see not but that it is as possible for me to have other books imposed upon me then what I have yet heard of or at least seen as part of this Word of God as well as former Christians some Ages after the Apostles times had the Epistle to the Hebrews those of St. Iames St. Iude the latter of St. Peter the second and third of St. Iohn with the Apocalips or Revelation imposed upon them by Councils where the Pope was chief these things are fit to be clearly known and that with certainty too before a man submit in so high a measure as you require The sixt Reason which I met with was whatsoever is a sole sufficient Rule must be plain and clear in all necessary points atleast which relates unto Faith or the means by which Salvation is to be had which the Scripture is not and above all things it must not contradict it self which the Scriptures seem to do to prove these I shall give some few Instances which I think can never be infringed that they are not plain and clear as is beforesaid consider 1. All Christians generally except some few do agree that the Sacraments of the Gospel are necessary in order to salvation now as to these the Scriptures are so far from being clean that they do not so much as determine what a Sacrament is how many Christ ordained or whether there be any Sacraments or not 2. It is necessary to Salvation to beleive all the Books of the Holy Scriptures to be the word of God and to beleive nothing written to be the Word of God which is Apocryphall But by the Scriptures it cannot be made out plainly and clearly which Books are the Word of God and which are Apocriphall 3. It is necessary to beleive the Scriptures to be the Word of God but there is no Text or Texts of Scripture to prove that the Scriptures which we have are Gods word 4. It is necessary to know that the Scriptures are not corrupted for if they are corrupted they cease to be the word of God ad then they cannot be any Rule or sure guide unto us But of this we can have no assurance in Scripture 5. It is necessary in order to the knowing the true mind meaning and will of God and what he intended by such a Text that we know when a Text is to be understood liberally when figuratively when mistically but this cannot be understood from sole Scripture as dayly experience
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