contained in the Epistles or Acts of the Apostles then let us observe it as a divine and holy Tradition And elsewhere having reckoned up the Canonical Books These are they says he that make up the Rule from whence we draw all the assertions of our Faith. Hieronymus The Church of Christ possesses In Mich. c. 1. Assemblies in all the World being joyn'd by the Unity of the Spirit and hath Cities founded on the Law and the Prophets the Gospel and the Apostles She departs not out of her own bounds that is from the Scriptures but retains her first possession The time will not permit me to quote every Father nor all of each I shall onely adde the words of St. Augustine disputing with Maximinus and those of Optatus against the Donatists because they are near akin and highly useful to put an end to this and all other Controversies Neither ought I to alledge S. Aug. contra Maximin l. 3j c. 14. now the Council of Nice nor thou that of Ariminum as prejudging the question on either side for neither am I bound to the authority of the one nor thou of the other let us both contest with authorities of Scriptures which are Witnesses common to us both Optat. You say 't is lawful we Optat. l. 5. contra Parmen say 't is not and between both the people are in suspence let them not believe either for perhaps we are both contentious but let us be tryed by Judges If they be Christians both sides will not afford such viz. such as are impartial if they be Heathens they are altogether ignorant if they be Jews they are utter Enemies Seeing therefore we can find no competent Judges on Earth we must have recourse to Heaven But alass what can we expect from Heaven while we have the last Will and Testament of our Saviour in the Gospel He compares the Scriptures to the Will of a Testatour if any Controversie arise among the Kindred after his death and one affirms this another that they don't run to his Grave but peruse the Writings and so learn his mind as though he were still among them Our Saviour therefore who is now in Heaven foreseeing strifes after his death hath left us his Will in the lasting Tables of the Gospel And surely these are sufficient to teach us his mind these alone must decide all our differences that concern Faith or Manners From hence alone we derive whatever we believe with our hearts or confess with our mouths as of necessity to salvation because by these we shall be judged at the last day For God says St. Paul shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my Gospel Rom. 2. 16. These thingswe teach and exhort as the sure ground of our Faith and Practice and venture our Souls upon them And if any man teach otherwise for I doubt not to apply the words of St. Paul again 1 Tim. 6. 3. c. and consent not to wholsome words even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ and to the Doctrine which is according â—o Godliness he is proud he knows nothing he doats They are not mine but the words of the Apostle with many more as severe as these And from such saith he to Timothy his own Son in the Faith withdraw thy self v. 5. Whatever any man would alledge or obtrude upon you which is not consonant to the wholsome words of Christ and his Apostles which make up the whole Doctrine according to Godliness reject and disclaim it as alien from the Faith for unless ye can have new Scriptures ye can never have new Articles of your Faith. To these alone we appeal as the immoveable Rule of our Doctrines and if any doubt arise in the interpretation of them we refer our selves gladly to the first and purest Antiquity To Christ alone as the great Author and Finisher of our Faith to the Apostles and Evangelists as the first Preachers and Publishers to the Primitive Fathers and Councils as the best Helpers and Interpreters Let no man therefore deceive you with vain words nor beat you off from this hold and fortress whatever is necessary to eternal life is fully contained in the holy Scriptures whatever is not there can never be a part of the Christian Faith. I conclude this point with the words and appeal of the Prophet which is back'd with an excellent reason Isai 8. 20. To the Law and to the Testimony if they speak not according to this word it is because there is no light in them III. I should now proceed in the third place to observe the emphasis and force of the Particle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Faith was delivered to the Saints and that but once Which little word is of great weight and carries with it sufficient matter to conclude and determine those that seek it and to settle and secure those that hold it But that which I chiefly designe since the time forbids me to enlarge upon it is the Immutability of this Faith which is the proper importance of the word Once That which Christ received of his Father he communicated to his Apostles so he testifies himself when he prayed for them Joh. 17. 8. I have given them the words which thou gavest me and they have received them The same that they received of Christ they delivered to the Saints So St. Peter declares 2 Pet. 1. 16. We have not followed cunningly devised Fables when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ but were eye-witnesses of his Majesty Nay St. Paul speaks of his Gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ as one and the same thing Rom. 16. 25. which he there interprets once for all to be The Revelation of the Mystery which was kept secret since the World began but now is made manifest and by the Scriptures of the Prophets according to the commandment of the everlasting God mark that again I pray made known to all Nations for the obedience of Faith. Here then we are sure of the whole immutable counsel of God for the Faith and Obedience of all Nations which the succeeding Church is to preach and receive as from the beginning not to enlarge or shorten not to alter or corrupt by any mixtures or additions of their own devising For though when Christ founded his Church he made that indeed capable of a continual addition even till the full period of his coming again to Judgment yet the foundation of Faith upon which he built it is like himself the same yesterday and to day and for ever it stands as a Rock firm and unalterable never to be changed by Man or Angel. For though We says St. Paul Gal. 1. 8. or an Angel from Heaven preach any other Gospel unto you that that which we have preached unto you let him be accursed A dreadful sentence at first hearing but that we may not take it for a sudden transport we have the same result from
A SERMON Preached at the Anniversary Meeting OF THE Sons of Clergy-men In the Church of S. Mary le Bow On Thursday Decemb. 2. 1686. Printed at the Desire of the Right Worshipful The Stewards of the Feast To whom it is Humbly Presented By HENRY DOVE D. D. One of his Majesties Chaplains in Ordinary Imprimatur Dec. 13. 1686. Jo. Battely LONDON Printed for Benj. Tooke at the Ship in St. Paul's Church-yard 1687. Gen. Ep. of St. Jude v. 3. That ye should earnestly contend for the Faith which was once delivered to the Saints IF it was needful for the Apostles to write unto the Churches and to exhort them to stedfastness and perseverance in the Faith while the Gospel was yet fresh in their memories it is certainly more necessary for us who live at this distance if we expect the same common Salvation to be instant and to urge the like Exhortations by how much the reason of their diligence and zeal is far more prevalent in our times For unless the Complaints of all sober men be groundless unless the publick Voice and our own Experience deceive us the sundry Prophecies of the last days are fulfilled in ours and the Mischiefs that did but creep in the beginning of Christianity gather strength and multiply among us upon whom the Ends of the World are come Should I read unto you this whole Epistle of St. Jude or the greatest part of the second of St. Peter which in most things agrees with this your own Observation would presently suit each Character you would point out the Persons to whom they belonged and think it not improbable that when the Spirit of God did inspire these holy men he might do it with an eye to the present Age. But being I come not hither to censure others but to confirm our selves in the true Faith and being Errour falls and disappears of it self when the Truth is set in a clear light I shall wave those black descriptions both of the Persons and their Doctrines which the Apostle has here exposed before us and shall onely use them as so many Arguments of our care and caution that if we meet with the men as 't is hard to avoid them we may notwithstanding shun their Errours that while we complain of Divisions on one hand and Corruptions on another of Ignorance in some Irreligion in others and Carelesness in most we may be sure not to contribute to the increase of either but that we labour for knowledge and a good Conscience the loss of which is enough of it self to endanger our Faith though there were none without us to oppose it and then that we study to be quiet and as much as lieth in us and if it be possible follow peace with all men for these we know are infallible Evidences of a Gospel-temper and inseparable Concomitants of a meek and sincere Christian Or if it be not possible for us to compass peace with all seeing all men have not Faith all men are not sincere let not that discourage but rather whet our diligence in doing our own undoubted duty Though it exceed our power and skill to make all men of one mind and we cannot of our selves attain unto it yet since we are sure of the mind of Christ and his Apostles let us always remember what he revealed and what they preached believing the Truth as it is in Jesus continuing in the Truth as 't is after Godliness living peaceably charitably and unblameably our selves and praying continually both for our selves and others and thus earnestly contend for the Faith which was once delivered to the Saints The words are a plain but pathetical Exhortation to an indispensible and weighty Duty incumbent on every man that hath given up his Name to Christ that professes the true Apostolick Faith and hopes to be saved in that Profession And surely my Brethren if this be required of every Christian it will highly become us that are here assembled when we reflect on the relation wherein we stand not meerly as Professours but some as Fathers many as Dispensers and all as Sons in the common Faith to be very earnest and zealous for it that so we may at once credit our Extraction and adorn the Gospel of God our Saviour that we may walk worthy of that good Providence which attended us in our Birth and blessed us in our Baptism and manifest the efficacy of that primitive and sound Doctrine which both our Fathers and our Church have taught us That therefore I may recommend the Duty to your practice I shall observe what is proper for our instruction in the words and handle them in a method that may fairly conduce to each In order to which I shall endeavour I. To explain the meaning of this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Faith. II. To consider the manner of its conveyance and the Persons that received it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 delivered to the Saints III. To observe the emphasis or force of the particle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Faith was delivered to the Saints and that but once IV. To conclude all with the earnest Exhortation of St. Jude that upon these and some other motives I shall offer we may be effectually perswaded 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to contend earnestly for it i. e. to defend it with our utmost vigour to strive together that we lose it not not with the fury of a blind misguided Zeal which produceth Confusion and every evil Work but with the Spirit of power and of love and of a sound mind and with meekness of wisdom as becometh Saints I. I need not stay to tell you that this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Faith hath as many and perhaps more significations than any single word in the whole Scriptures which are obvious and easie to every careful Reader I shall onely explain the sence of it in this place as 't is drawn from the nature of Faith. Divine Faith in general is nothing else but an assent to the Truths of God upon his own Word and Testimony let it appear that God hath declared it and there needs no other ground of our Belief And the Faith of a Christian is an assent to the same truths and upon the same grounds but as the Church of Christ now stands and must continue to the end of the World it admits of this addition as they are delivered unto us in the Writings of the Apostles and Prophets In which you may easily distinguish two things the assent of the Understanding and something credible the act of Believing and the object of Faith. Now although the Faith in the Text doth not exclude but rather suppose the former for how should we contend for that which we do not believe yet it principally denotes the latter i. e. the word of Faith the Doctrine that brings Salvation the undoubted Principles of our holy Religion contained at large in the Gospel and sum'd up in the Apostolical and Primitive Confessions
And this is evident 1. from the following word in the Text 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Faith delivered for as for the Act or Habit of Faith it is either produced by the ordinary means of hearing or else supernaturally infus'd by the Spirit of God but that which is properly delivered is the Doctrine it self either by word of mouth or by writing And 2. from many parallel places of Scripture as Acts 13. 8. Where Elymas the Sorcerer sought to turn away the Deputy from the Faith who is afterwards said v. 12. to be astonished at the Doctrine of the Lord and Acts 14. 22. When St. Paul and Barnabas had preached the Gospel to several Cities they confirmed the Souls of the Disciples and exhorted them to continue in the Faith nay St. Paul tells us of himself Gal. 1. 23. That he preached the Faith which once he destroyed and prophesies also of others That in the latter times some shall depart from the Faith 1 Tim. 4. 1. By all which we are to understand the Doctrine of Faith that Faith which God revealed by his Son which Christ made known to his Apostles and the Apostles preached to the World at the promulgation of which the Angels rejoyced and the Devils trembled to see Man so wonderfully redeemed and themselves irrecoverably left in everlasting chains which was propagated by Signes and Wonders and so demonstrated by Miracles that men were easily induced to believe the Word of God in their mouths while they saw the Power of God in every Apostles hand by the energy of which the Cripples were cured the Dead were raised and some at first were deprived of life That Faith which all the Prophets foretold which the Evangelists pen'd and the Church receiv'd That Faith which in one day by the first Pentecost-Sermon converted Acts 2. 41 about 3000 Souls and hath crowned many Millions in succeeding Ages with eternal Glory In a word That Faith which hath saved all the Saints that are already in Heaven and must bring all the rest that are ordained to come thither Which leads me in the next place II. To consider the manner of its conveyance and the persons that received it The Faith delivered to the Saints I put these two together because they will help to explain each other And here if we would take in the whole we contend for we must go back to the beginning not onely to the Book of the Generation of Jesus Christ but even to the Epoche of time it self and may trace it down briefly in this succeeding course When God had created man for his own service that is his glory he was pleased to reveal his will to him because what was hid from him could never be the instance of his duty and hence to the Law of Nature which he printed on his mind he added a positive command to try the integrity of his obedience and this was the first Revelation made to Adam in innocence whereby he was enjoin'd to believe and to obey his Maker But alas we all know what Adam did and feel the sad efects of his transgression unto this day wherefore in the succeeding Ages he spake unto the Fathers at sundry times and in divers manners Heb. 1. sometimes by an audible Voice and sometimes by secret Illapses by Dreams and by Visions by the Ministry of Men and by the Message of Angels And when the fulness of time was come he spake unto us once for all by his onely begotten Son who being from all eternity in the bosom of the Father was able to know and undertaking this errand of his infinite compassion and his own accord was willing to impart whatever was necessary for us to receive In order to which he took our Nature upon him conversed among us unfolding the Mystery which was before kept secret and so became the Author of this Faith. And as his Mercy was great in his Advent so he shew'd his Wisdom in the choice of the Persons to whom he delivered this Will for he did not propound it at all adventures and expose it to the uncertain Multitude or commit it to the hands of the prejudiced Rabbies not unto the Rich and Noble or the Wise and Learned of the Age but unto a selected company of illiterate Galileans twelve men of mean quality and from an obscure corner without the advantages of Birth or Breeding that by the weakness of the Instruments and the improbability of the means the Power of God might appear stronger These were they despised indeed by men but highly favoured of God and chosen by Christ to be Witnesses of all that he began both to do and teach and suffer Who being always à latere to their Lord and Master and enjoying the access of Favourites and the freedom of Friends had the evidence of their outward Senses to confirm the inward perswasion of their Minds whereby they were as infallibly assured that he knew all things and that he came forth from God as that they heard him speak or saw him work a Miracle And thus St. John the familiar Disciple testifieth of himself and the rest of the Apostles 1 Ep. 1. 1. That which was from the beginning which we have heard which we have seen with our eyes which we have looked upon and our hands have handled of the word of life that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you And as they were Witnesses of all his Divine Speeches and mighty Works and bitter Sufferings and above all of his glorious Resurrection Act. 1. 22. from the dead even of all that had passed from the Baptism of John until the day of his Assumption so after his Ascension he confirmed their Minds and increased their Faith and emboldened their Faces by the punctual performance of the Promise he made them on Earth in sending the Spirit from Heaven That good Spirit that enlightened their Understandings furnished their Memories and guided them into all Truth that inspired them with the gift of Tongues and of Prophecy endued them with a power of working Miracles also in some respects greater than those he had wrought himself and brought all things fresh to their remembrance whatsoever they had seen or heard before or were now to publish By which they were fully instructed and animated and perfectly enabled to discharge their trust maugre all the opposition that malice or rage or wit or power could make against them for by one short Sermon as I said which you read in the second of the Acts they augmented the former number of 120 with the addition of about 3000 Souls and by the next recorded in the third of near 5000 more so mightily grew the Word Act. 4. 4. of God and prevailed and Believers were the more added to the Lord multitudes both of men and women Act. 5. 14. These were the Persons to whom the Faith was at first delivered and these the means of its first conveyance That which Christ received of his
Father he delivered unto the Apostles that which the Apostles received of Christ they delivered to the Saints who were called so to be being converted by their preaching And thus the Faith was planted and the Church of Christ was founded That Primitive Holy and Uniform Church which began at Jerusalem and was the Mother of all true Churches in after Ages which consisted of a company of faithful and obedient and devout People professing the same Doctrine communicating in the same Sacraments and presenting the same Prayers As ye find them describ'd Act. 2. 41 42. Then they that gladly received his word were baptized and the same day there were added unto them about 3000 Souls and they continued stedfastly in the Apostles Doctrine and Fellowship and in breaking of Bread and in Prayers I beseech you consult the place and ponder the words well because they contain all the necessary Notes and essential Ingredients of a true Church They were all baptized there 's the entrance by Baptism they stedfastly retained the Apostles Doctrine there 's the unity of the Faith they continued in the Apostles Fellowship there 's their union and adherence to their Governours they received the blessed Eucharist expressed by breaking of bread and consented in the use of the common Prayers there 's the Uniformity of their Worship These were the Saints of the first Church built upon the Faith which the Apostles then preached made capable of a continual increase and an uninterrupted succession for the Lord added daily then such as should be saved and Acts 2. 47. hath ever since added more and will still persevere to adde even unto the end of the World till he shall have compleated the number of his Elect and presented unto himself a glorious Church without spot or wrinkle in Eph. 5. 27. Heaven So much for the manner of its first conveyance and the Persons that first received it But here ariseth a material question that concerns all the succeeding Ages and is of great moment to us now living for that the Faith was at first revealed by Christ and published by his Apostles is confessed by all Christians however they be otherwise divided in their opinions or judgments but where this Faith is now to be found and how it is derived downwards unto us who live at the distance of 1600 years and upwards is a controversie that at this very hour disturbs Christendom That 't is preserved in the Scriptures as a perfect Rule of Gods revealed Will is the Doctrine of ours and all reformed Churches That the Scriptures are not a sufficient Rule of Faith but want a supply from Tradition is the known Doctrine of the Church of Rome By the meer mention of which you cannot but see the necessity of a Resolution for setling our Judgments for guiding our Consciences and building us up in our most holy Faith In order to which I crave leave to premise some few preliminaries that may at once give us light and prevent cavils in this Enquiry 1. It is confessed that as our Saviour writ Mat. 28. 19. Mark 16. 15. nothing himself so the commission he gave his Apostles was not to write but to teach and preach 2. But then it is no less certain that the Apostles taught the Churches by writing as well 2 Thess 2. 2. 5. 1 Cor. 11. 2. as by preaching and that the Faith was propagated by both by preaching to the Saints present by writing to those absent 3. Whatever the Apostles delivered by word of mouth or committed to writing is of equal authority because in both they were inspired by the Holy Ghost If therefore it appear that what is delivered be the Word and Will of God whether it be written or unwritten 't is sufficient ground of a Christians Faith. 4. But then fourthly since it is impossible to make it appear that after the Scriptures were written and the Canon was compleat there remained some Articles of Faith preserved onely by Tradition and not delivered in the Scriptures it will naturally follow that the written Word of God is a sufficient Rule of divine Faith. I confess at the first when Christianity was confin'd to a narrow compass and the number of Believers was but small their zeal and concern for the Faith was such that there was no danger of letting any thing slip which they had received as a necessary Doctrine and then Oral Tradition was a proper conveyance of the divine Will especially considering that then the gifts of the Spirit were plentifully shed not onely on the Apostles but on every true Believer also But when the Word of God grew and multiplied and the Religion of Jesus gained ground in the World when it spread it self far and near and passed through many hands into divers remote Countries the same Spirit that moved the Apostles to teach and preach moved some of them to write what they had preached and other holy men to write what they had seen and heard lest in process of time their Doctrine might be forgotten by the carelesness of luke-warm Professours or corrupted by the contrivance of crafty Hereticks or destroyed by the malice of the Devil And truly though the Writings of any one Apostle appointed for this purpose had been sufficient to preserve the Faith entire particularly had we onely the Gospel of St. John affirming of himself that though he had omitted many things that Jesus did yet he had written all things necessary to salvation Joh. 20. 30 31. And many other signes truly did Jesus in the presence of his Disciples which are not written in this Book But these are written why that ye might believe written that ye might believe what that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God and what of that and that believing this as the great foundation of all the rest which the belief of this is apt to produce in your hearts and lives ye might have life through his Name I say though the Testimony of one in this manner had been sufficient yet such is the Providence of God and his abundant care of his Church which must continue to the end of the World that he ratifies his Will by a joynt testimony and consignes the Rule of our Faith by the hands of several Witnesses differing perhaps in stile and method and other circumstances but agreeing in the substance of all things necessary as the water is the same though it be conveyed through sundry pipes and channels From what hath been premised we may thus argue If to preserve a thing from oblivion or corruption be the main end of writing it then all that is necessary to salvation was also written because 't is most requisite to preserve what is most necessary Or if you please thus If it was necessary for the Apostles to write at all lest what they had delivered might be lost it was requisite they should write all that was necessary lest the designe of the whole might be frustrated