of that land they are as mâ—â—t vnto vs theâ—â— shadow is departed from themâ— the Lord is with vs feare them not Only let vs not thinke 〈◊〉 â—ot is dâ—bellari posse that the conquest will be gotteÌ„ by sitting still and wishing al were well or that the walls of those strong 〈◊〉 will fâ—ll downe if wee only walke about them blow rammes hornes But as the voice of Gods people sometime was by the sâ—â—rd of God and of Gedeon so that which here giues the victory must bee the grace of God and our industrie For by this circumcised narrow and penurious forme of studie wee shall be no more able to keepe pace with them then a child caÌ„ with Hercules But I forbeare and passe awaie vnto the second epitheâ— by which these rackers of Scriptures are by St Peter stiledâ— Vnstable In the learning which the world teaches it were almost a miracle to finde a man coÌ„stant to his own tenents For not to doubt in things in which wee are conversant is either by reason of excellency serenitie of vnderstanding throughly apprehending the maine principles on which all things are grounded together with the deserying of the severall passages from them vnto particular conclusions and the diverticles and blind by-paths which Sophistâ—ie and deceit are wont to tread and such a man cannâ—t â—e never yeeld or else it is through a senselesse stupiditie like vnto that in the commoÌ„ sort of men who coÌ„versing among the creatures and beholding the course of heaven and the heavenly hoast yet never attend them neither ever sâ—â—kes into their heads to marvaile or question these things so full of doubt and difficultie Even such◠〈…〉 that learnes Theologie in the schoole of 〈…〉 to participate of aâ—y 〈…〉 composednesse of conscience Either it never comes into his head to doubt of any of those things with which the world hath inâ—◠〈…〉 if it doth it is 〈…〉 great purpose he may smother and strangle he can never resolue his doubt The reason of which is this It lies not in the worlds power to giue in this case a text of sufficieÌ„t authority to compose fix the thoughts of a soule that is dispos'd to doubt But this great inconvenience which held the world in vncertaintie by the providence of God is prevented in the Church For vnto it is left a certaine vndoubted and sufficient authority able to exalt every valley and lay low every hill to smooth all rubs make our way so open and passable that little enquirie serues So that as it were a wonder in the schoole of nature to find one setled and resolued so might it seeme a marvaile that in the Church any man is vnstable vnresolued Yet notwithstanding even here is the vnstable maÌ„ found too to his charge the Apostle laies this sinne of wresting of Scripture For since that it is confest at all hands that the sense and meaning of Scripture is the rule and ground of our Christian tenents whensoever we alter them wee must needs giue a new sense vnto the word of God So that the man that is vnstable in his religion can never be free from violating of Scripture The especiall cause of this levitie and flitting disposition in the common and ordinary sort of men is their disabilitie to discerne of the strength of such reasons as may be fram'd against them For which cause they vsually start and many times fall awaie vpon every obiection that is made In which too suddaine entertainment of obiections they resemble the state of 〈◊〉 who are 〈◊〉 recouâ—ed out of some long sicknesse 〈…〉 Who never more wrong themselues then by suspecting every alteration of their tempeâ— and being affrighted at every little passion of heat as if it were an ague fit To bring these men therefore vnto an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and to purchase them a setlednes of minde that temper that St Austine doth require in him that reads his booke tales meotum Scriptorum velim iudices qui responsionem non semper desiderent qâ—â—m 〈◊〉 quae legâ—ntur audier in t ali quid contradict the same temper must be found in eâ—ery reader of Scripture hee must not bee aâ— a stand and require an answer to every obiectioÌ„ that is made against them For as the Philosopher tels vs that mad and fantasticall men are very apprehensiue of all outward accidents because their soule is inwardly emptie and vnfurnished of any thing of worth which might hold the inward attention of their minds so when wee are so easily dord and amated with every Sophisme it is a certaine argument of great defect of inward furniture and worth which should as it were ballace the minde and keep it vpright against all outward occurrents whatsoever And be it that many times the meanes to open such doubts bee not at hand yet as St Austine sometime spake vnto his scholler 〈…〉 concerning such advise and counsaile as he had given him Nolo te causas rationesque rimâ—ri quae etiamsi reddi possint fides tamen quae mihi credis non eas debeo so much more must we thus resolue of those lessons which God teacheth vs the reasons and grounds of them though they might be giuen yet it fits not that credit and trust which we owe him once to search into or call in question And so I come to the third generall part the danger of wresting of Scripture in the last wordes vnto their owne damnation The reward of every sin is death As the worme eates out the heart of the plant that bred it so whatsoeuer is done amisse naturally workes no other end but the destruction of him that doth it As this is true in generall so is it as true that wheÌ„ the Scripture doth precisely note out vnto vs some sinne and threatens death vnto it it is commonly an argument that there is more then ordinarie that there is some especiall sinne which shall drawe with it some especiall punishment This sin of wresting of Scripture in the eie of some of the ancients seem'd so ougly that they haue ranged it in the same ranke with the sinne against the holy Ghost And therefore haue they pronounced it a sinne 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 greater then can bee pardoned For the most part of other sinnes are sinns of infirmitie or simplicitie but this is a sinne of wit and strength The man that doth it doth it with a high hand he knowes and sees and resolues vpon it Againe Scripture is the voice of God and it is confest by all that the sense is Scripture rather theÌ„ the words It cannot therefore be avoided but hee that wilfully striues to faesten some sense of his owne vpon it other then the very nature of the place will beare must needs take vpon him the person of God become a new indiâ—eâ— of Scripture and all that applaud and giue conâ—enâ— vnto any such in effect cry the same that the people did to
to the Church nor to any created power whatsoever This doctrine of the litterall sense was never greivous or prejudiciall to any but onely to those who were inwardly conscious that their positions were not sufficiently grounded When Cardinall Caietan in the daies of our grandfathers had forsaken that vaine of postilling and allegorising on Scripture which for a long time had prevailed in the Church and betaken himselfe vnto the literall sense it was a thing so distastfull vnto the Church of Rome that hee was forc'd to finde out many shifts make many apologies for himselfe The truth is as it will appeare to him that reads his writings this sticking close to the litteral sense was that alone which made him to shake many of those tenents vpon which the Church of Rome and the reformed Churches differ But when the importunitie of the reformers and the great credit of Calvins writings in that kinde had forced the divines of Rome to levell their interpretations by the same line when they saw that no paines no subtletie of wit was strong enough to defeat the literall evidence of Scripture it draue them on those desperate shelfes on which at this daie they sticke to call in question as farre as they durst the credit of the Hebrew text countenance against it a corrupt translation to add traditions vnto Scripture and to make the Churches interpretation so pretended to bee aboue exception As for that restriction which is vsually added to this rule that the literall sense is to be taken if no absurdity follow though I acknowledge it to be sound and good yet my advise is that we entertaine it warily St Basil thought the precept of Christ to the rich man in the Gospell Goe sell all thou hast and giue vnto the poore to be spoken as a command vniversally and eternally binding all Christians without exception And making this obiection how possibly such a life could bee amongst Christians since where all are sellars none could be buyers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Aske not me the sense of my Lords commands He that gaue the law can provide to giue it possibilitie of being kept without any absurditie at all Which speech howsoever we may suppose the occasion of it to be mistaken yet is it of excellent vse to represse our boldnesse whereby many times vnder pretence of some inconvenience we hinder Scripture from that latitude of sense of which it is naturally capable You knowe the story of the Romane captaine in Gellius and what hee told the shipwright that chose rather to interpret then to execute his Lords command Corrumpi atque dissolvi omne imperantis officium si quis ad id quod facere iussus est non obsequio debito sed consilio non desiderato respondeat It will certainely in the end proue safer for vs to entertaine Gods Commandements obsequio debito then to interpret them acumine non desiderato Those other waies of interpretation whether it be by allegorizing or allusion or whatsoever the best that can bee said of them is that which Basil hath pronounced 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 We account of them as of trimme elegant and wittie speeches but we refuse to accept of them as of vndoubted truthes And though of some part of these that may bee said which one said of his owne worke quod ad vsum lusi quod ad molestiam laboravi in respect of any profit comes by them they are but sport but in respect of the paines taken in making of them they are labour and travaile yet much of them is of excellent vse in private either to raise our affections or to spend our meditations or so it bee with modestie to practise our gifts of wit to the honour of him that gaue them For if wee absolutely condemne these interpretations then must we condemne a great part of antiquitie who are very much conversant in this kinde of interpreting For the most partiall for antiquitie cannot chuse but see and confesse thus much that for the litterall sense the Interpreters of our owne times because of their skill in the originall languages their care of pressing the circumstances and coherence of the text of comparing like places of Scripture with like haue generally surpast the best of the ancients Which I speake not to discountenance antiquitie but that all ages all persons may haue their due And let this suffice for our first rule The Iewish Rabbines in their Comments on Scripture so oft as they met with hard and intricate texts out of which they could not wrest thēselues were wont to shut vp their discourse with this Elias cum venerit solvet dubia Elias shall answer this doubt when he comes Not the Iewes only but the learned Christians of all ages haue found many things in Scripture which yet expect Elias For besides those texts of Scriptures which by reason of the hidden treasures of wisdome and depth of sense mysterie laid vp in them are not yet conceau'd there are in Scripture of things that are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 seemingly confus'd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 carrying semblance of contrarietie anachronismes metachronismes and the like which bring infinite obscuritie to the text there are I say in Scripture more of them then in any writing that I knowe secular or divine If wee meane not to settle our selues till all these things are answered let vs take heed least the like be said to vs which St Austine said to some of the Gentiles who refused to beleeue till all obiections were satisfied sunt enim innumerabiles quae non sunt finiendae ante fidem ne vita finiatur sine fide The Areopagites in Athens whē they were troubled in a doubtfull case in which they durst not proceed to sentence were wont causam in diem longissimam differre to put it off till a day of hearing for some hundreth yeares after avoiding by this meanes the further being importun'd with the suit To quiet our selues in these doubts it will be our best way in diem longissimam differre to put them to some day of hearing a farre off even till that great day till Christ our true Elias shall come who at his comming shal answer all our doubts and settle all our waverings Meane while till our Elias come let vs make vse of this second rule In places of ambiguous and doubtfull or darke and intricate meaning it is sufficient if we religiously admire and acknowledge and confesse vsing that moderation of Austine Neutram partem affirmantes siue destruentes sed tantummodo ab audaci affirmandi praesumptione revocantes Qui credit saith one satis est illi quod Christus intelligat To vnderstand belongs to Christ the author of our faith to vs is sufficient the glory of beleeuing Wherefore we are to advise not so much how to attaine vnto the vnderstanding of the mysteries of Scripture as how it best fits vs to carry
Heâ—od the voice of God and not of man If he then that abases the Princes come deserues to die what is his desert that insteed of the tried silver of Gods word stamps the name and character of God vpoÌ„ Neâ—ushtan vpon base brafen stuffe of his owne Thirdly No Scripture is of private interpretation saith the Apostle There can therfore be but two certaine and infallible interpreters of Scripture either it selfe or the holy Ghost the author of it It selfe doth then expound it selfe when the wordes circumstances doe sound vnto vs the prime and naturall and principall sense But when the place is obscure involu'd and intricate or when there is contain'd some secret and hidden mystery beyond the prime sense infallibly to shew vs this there can be no interpreter but the holy Ghost that gaue it Besides these two all other interpretation is private Wherefore as the Lords of the Philistines sometimes said of the kine that drew the arke vnto Bethshemesh If they goe of themselues then is this from God but if they goe another way then is it not from God it is some chance that hath hapned vnto vs so may it bee said of all pretended sense of Scripture If Scripture come vnto it of it selfe then is it of God but if it goe another way or if it bee violently vrged and goaded on then is it but a matter of chance of mans wit invention As for those marvailous discourses of some fram'd vpon presumption of the spirits helpe in private in iudging or interpreting of difficult places of Scripture I must needs confesse I haue often wondred at the boldnesse of them The spirit is a thing of darke secret operation the maner of it none can descrie As vnderminers are never seene till they haue wrought their purpose so the spirit is never perceaved but by its effects The effects of the spirit as farre as they concerne knowledge and instruction are not particular information for resolution in any doubtfull case for this were plainely revelation but as the Angell which was sent vnto Cornelius informes him not but sends him to Peter to schoole so the spirit teaches not but stirres vp in vs a desire to learne Desire to learne makes vs thirst after the meanes and pious sedulitie carefulnesse makes vs watchfull in the choice and diligent in the vse of our meanes The promise to the Apostles of the spirit which should lead them into all truth was made good vnto them by private and secret informing their vnderstandings with the knowledge of high and heavenly mysteries which as yet had never entred into the conceit of any man The same promise is made to vs but fulfil'd after another manner For what was written by revelation in their hearts for our instruction haue they written in their bookes To vs for information otherwise then out of these bookes the spirit speaks not WheÌ„ the spirit regenerats a maÌ„ it infuses no knowledge of any point of faith but sends him to the Church and to the Scriptures When it stirres him vp to newnesse of life it exhibits not vnto him an inventory of his sinnes as hitherto vnknowne but either supposes theÌ„ knowne in the law of nature of which no man can bee ignorant or sends him to learne them from the mouth of his teachers More then this in the ordinary proceeding of the holy spirit in matter of instruction I yet could never deserie So that to speake of the helpe of the spirit in private either in dijudicating or in interpreting of Scripture is to speake they knowe not what Which I doe the rather note first because by experience we haue learnt how apt-men are to call their private conceits the spirit And againe because it is the especiall errour with which S. Austine long agoe charged this kinde of men tantò sunt ad seditionem faciliores quantò sibi videntur spiritâ— excellere by so much the more prone are they to kindle schisme and contention in the Church by how much they seeme to themselues to bee endued with a more eminent measure of spirit then their brethren whilst 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as St Basils speakes vnder pretense of interpretation they violently broach their owne conceits Great then is the danger in which they wade which take vpon them this businesse of interpretation temeritas asserendâ— incertae dubiaeque opinionis saith St Austine difficile sacrilegij crimen evitat the rashnesse of those that averre vncertaine and doubtfull interpretations for Catholike and absolute can hardly escape the sinne of sacrilege But whereas our Apostle saith their owne destruction is the destruction onely their owne this were well if it stretched no farther The ancients much complaine of this offence as an hinderer of the salvation of others There were in the daies of Isidorus Pelusiota some that gaue out that all in the old Testament was spoken of Christi belike out of extreame oppositioÌ„ to the Manichees who on the otherside taught that no text in the old Testament did foretell of Christ That Father therefore dealing with some of that opinion tels them how great the danger of their tenent is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for if saith he we striue with violence to drawe and apply those texts to Christ which apparantly pertaine not to him we shall gaine nothing but this to make all the places that are spoken of him suspected and so discredite the strength of other testimonies which the Church vsually vrges for the refutation of the Iewes For in these cases a wrosted proofe is like vnto a suborn'd witnesse It never doth helpe so much whilest it is presumed to bee strong as it doth 〈◊〉 when it is discouered to bee weake St Austine in his bookes de Genesi ad litteram sharply â—â—proues some Christians who out of some places of Scripture misvnderstood fram'd vnto themselues a kinde of knowledge in Astronomie and Physiologie quite contrary vntosome parts of heathen learning in this kinde which were true and evident vnto sense A man would thinke that this were but a small errour and yet hee doubts not to call it 〈…〉 perniciosâ—â— maxiâ—â— cavendum His reason warrants the roundnesse of his reproofe For he charges such to haue beene a scandall vnto the word and hinderers of the conversion of some heathen men that were schollars For how saith he shall they beleeue our bookes of Scripture perswading the resurrection of the dead the kingdome of heauen and the rest of the mysteries of our profession if they finde them faultie in these things of which themselues haue vndeniable demonstration yea though the cause wee maintaine bee never so good yet the issue of diseas'd and crazie proofes brought to maintaine it must needs bee the same For vnto all causes be they never so good weakenesse of proofe when it is discovered brings great prejudice but vnto the cause of religion most of all St Austine obseru'd that there were some qui 〈◊〉 de aliquibus qui