〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the daughter of the Voice In his Baptism Lo a voice from heaven Saying This is my beloved Son At his Transfiguration a Voice came out of a cloud which said This is my beloved Son hear him A little before his death as he was Praying Father glorifie thy Name There came a voice from heaven Saying I have both glorified it and will glorify it again 3. For mission of Angels by the Father We find them still ready upon all occasions from before his Coming down to the time of his Ascension into Heaven Before his Conception the Angel Gabriel appeared to Zachary and to Mary before his Nativity to Joseph saying fear not Joseph At the time of his Nativity a whole Chorus appeared to the Sheapheards In his Infancy an Angel appeared twice to Joseph admonishnig him of his going to Egypt and his return from thence In his Adult age they ministred to him in his hunger Before his death they strengthned him in his Agony After it they rolled away the stone from his Sepulcher They declared his resurrection And in his Ascension they stood by and foretold his coming again to Judgement Ye men of Galalie why stand ye gazing This same Jesus 4. The Father cooperated with him according to that of our Saviour the father worketh hitherto and I work c. These are some of the Attestations of the Father 2. Christ bore witness of himself And this he did by proveing himself to be the Messiah viz. by fulfilling all the Prophesies relating to the Person or Offices The Life and the Death of the Messiah His Generation was such as cannot be declared he was born at Bethlem of the tribe of Juda of the Family of David about 490. years after the return from Captivity When the Scepter was just now departed from Juda. He performed not only the Substance of the Prophesies but all the Circumstances foretold Concerning the Life and Death of the Messiah He was to be a Prophet and So he was The Spirit of the Lord anointed him to preach and he spake as never man spake He foretold many things to come they all bare him witness 2. He was to be a King and so he was His Name was Wonderful his Power was shewen througout the vniversal System of the World the Angels good and evil the Heavens Elements Plants Fishes Brutes Health and Sickness Life and Death were all obedient unto his Word 3. He was to be a Priest and so he was He made an Attonement by his Obedience and by his sufferings to the least punctilio to the taking of a little Vinegar and when all things were fulfilled He cryed with a loud voice 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is finished and he bowed his head and gave up the Ghost Moreover for the Justification of his Gospel and that he might leave no place for Infidelity he rose again from the dead appeared to many Convinced them by all their senses They saw him They heard him they felt his hands and his side They Eat and Drank with him They Conversed with him 40. dayes He was seen by more then 500. at once and lastly in the sight of Many of them he Ascended Visibly into Heaven These were some of the Testimonies which our Lord Christ bore to himself 3. The time would fail me if I should speak of all the Testimonies given by the Holy Spirit In his Conception to Mary fulfilling the Promise of Gabriel Before his Nativity to Zachary and Elizabeth in his Infancy to Simeon and Hanna In his Baptism to John I knew him not saith John but he that sent me to baptize said unto me upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and resting on him that is he and I saw the Spirit descending Throughout his whole Ministry till his Death the Spirit gave witness to him Moreover In his Resurrection he was declared the Son of God with power by the Holy Ghost After his Ascention the Holy Ghost fulfilled all his undertakings In that Grand Manifestation at Pentecost at the time and place which Christ had undertaken for A manifestation made to all the Senses and to men of every nation under heaven Parthians besides a Multitude of other Instances Such were the Attestations given to Christ the Author and finisher of our faith 2. And for the Apostles the Promulgers of it Besides the Change of their Spirits from darkness to light Whereby they were led out of Ignorance and Infidelity into all Truth And from torpid and pusillanimous persons during the life of their Master they became when he was dead the most active and magnanimous in the world I say besides this Change They had bestowed upon them All things necessary either for their 1. Own Assurance Or for the 2. Conviction of the World Concerning the truth of the Gospel which they delivered I. As for themselves Besides the Conversation with their Master before and after his Resurrection they had 1. Apparitions of Angels And to one of them Christ himself appeared after he was ascended to his father 2. They had the Bath Kol Voices from Heaven In the 9 of the Acts We finde a Voice from Heaven maintaining a Dialogue with Paul and at another time a voice saying to Peter Arise Peter Kill and Eat 3. They had extatical Visions Peter was in a trance Act. 10.10 19. Paul rapt up to the third heaven 4. They had monitory Dreames Paul saw a man in a Dream saying unto him Come into Macedonia and help us 5. They had Impulses of the Spirit So Paul was forbid by the Spirit to preach the Word in Asia II. And for the Conviction of the unbelieving World They had diversities of gifts and Different Administrations To one was given the Word of Wisdom to another the Word of Knowledg to another Faith to another the gift of Healing to another Miracles Prophesies Discerning of Spirits The gift of Tongues As it is in the words which I quoted God bare them witness with gifts of the Holy Ghost and with Signes and Wonders and that he did so far that I shall be justified by Christ himself if I shall affirm that the Apostles after his death did greater miracles then he himself did in his life Of the same kind with our Saviours some they performed by means having an appearance of greater strangeness Christ healed by his touch his word his spittle Peter by his shadow Paul by Handkerchiefs taken from his body But one great thing there was wherein they exceeded The Great and Manifest and frequent Effusions of the Spirit The Reception of it upon themselves the communication of it to others by Prayer Preaching Laying on of Hands By these it was that the unbelieving world was convâ—nced and even Simon Magus himself It is by the power and Vertue of those effusions that we are here met together at this time that the World continues Christian at this day And
A SERMON Against the ANTI-SCRIPTURISTS ALSO Another concerning the Sinfulness Danger and Remedies OF INFIDELITY Preached at WHITE-HALL BY SETH Lord Bishop of Sarum LONDON Printed by J. M. for James Collins at the Kings-Head in Westminster-Hall MDCLXX Against the ANTI-SCRIPTURISTS A SERMON Preached at WHITE-HALL February 20. 1669 70. BY SETH Lord Bishop of Sarum Printed by His Majesties Special Command LONDON Printed by J. M. for James Collins at the Kings-Head in Westminster-Hall MDCLXX 2 Tim. 3.16 All Scripture is given by Inspiration of God IN the verse preceding it is said concerning the Scriptures of the Old Testament that they are able to make a man wise unto salvation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the faith which is in Jesus Christ And it follows immediately All Scripture c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Faith is often by a Metonymy taken for the Gospel which is the Object of the Faith of Christians We read often of the Preaching and Hearing of Faith of the Analogie of Faith the common Faith which was once delivered to the Saints in the preaching of Christ and the Writings of his Evangelists and Apostles and so I conceive it is to be taken in this place So that the meaning of the whole is this The Old Testament understood and expounded according to the Analogy of the New is able to make a man wise And the Pen-men of the Canonical Books of the Old Testament wherein Timothy had been instructed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and of the Books of the New Testament which except those of S. John were extant before the writing of this Epistle were inspired and directed by the Spirit of God The words of the Text are an entire Proposition asserting the Divine Authority of the Canon of Scripture and my endeavour shall be at this time to prove the truth of that Proposition Wherein that I may proceed with all plainness and clearness I shall premise two words by way of Petition Precaution 1. By way of Petition I suppose and take for granted 1. The great principle of the power of God and his providence in governing the world 2. That our Body of Canonical Books of the Old Testament is the same with that which was in Vse in the time of Christ and his Apostles And our body of the New Testament the same which was anciently received in the Church So that what shall be proved of those is applicable to the Original Scripture used in our time 3. That those Books of New Testament whose Authors were not anciently questioned were Written by those Authors whose Name they bear And that those few others which were sometimes questioned by some particular Churches and afterward Vniversally received contain in them no one point of Faith or Manners dissentient from the Contents of those Books which were never questioned 2. By way of Precaution and Admonition I must intreat you to take notice that I shall not now meddle with the Controversies concerning Apocrypha Translations Keri and Chetib Hebrew points various Lections dubious Authors or parts of Scripture But my endeavour at this time shall be to Assert the Divine Authority of the body and substance of the Original Books of the Canon of the Old and New Testament And this not in the way of common place but in a particular Examination or Refutation of the most dangerous Opinions of the Anti-scripturists which are these I. Of those who pretend to believe the truth of the New Testament and yet they deny the Divine Authority of the Old II. Of those who pretend to believe the truth but deny the divine Authority of the New Testament III. Of such as pretend to believe matters of fact to have been truly related in the New Testament but do not believe the truth of the Doctrinal parts relating to Faith and Manners IV. Such as deny the truth of the Relation of matters of Fact in the New Testament and in consequence reject the whole Body of Scripture Of these as briefly and plainly as I can I. The first Opinion is of those who pretending to believe the Truth of the New Testament deny the Divine Authority of the Old Testament The Severians and the Manichees Basilides and Carpocrates of old The Catabaptists of later times some Anabaptists Antinomians and other Fanatical Sectaries amongst our selves In opposition to these I shall shew that supposing the truth of the New Testament the Divine Authority of the Old Testament is to be acknowledged Because the Divine Authority of the Old Testament is asserted by Christ and his Evangelists and Apostles in the New 1. Next to the Redemption of the world the great business which Christ had to do upon Earth was to Convince men that he was the Messias and so to assert his Legislative Authority And the great Argument which he used for the conviction of the world was this All the Marks and the entire Character of the Messiah and of his Actions and Passions were prefigured and foretold by the Law and the Prophets and the Psalms i. e. in the Volume of the Old Testament And all things foretold or prefigured concerning the Messiah were accomplished by himself So that though the great Works of Christ and the purity and excellency of his Doctrine and of his Life were of themselves sufficient to justifie the Introduction of his Law into the World yet he was pleased to resolve as it were his own Authority into the Divine Authority of the Old Testament and to make use of those other manifestations of himself in a co-ordination with that principle And therefore we find him still pressing the Jews with this that if they did believe the Writings of Moses and their other Scriptures they must of necessity believe him also Moses wrote of me saith he wherefore did ye believe Moses ye would believe me The Scriptures testifie of me therefore search them diligently 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For the attaining of everlasting life he refers the Lawyer to the Law What is written in the Law how readest thou For the avoiding of the place of torments he makes Abraham refer the Relations of Dives to Moses and the Prophets In all his Disputations with the Pharisees and Sadduces the Lawyers and the Scribes he makes his appeal to the Scriptures of the Old Testament And lest any one should think that in all this he did only argue ad homines that disputing with the Jews he only proceeded upon their own Hypothesis we find him in the course of his Ministration positively asserting that the Scriptures must be fulfilled that they cannot be broken that he came not to destroy the Law and the Prophets but to fullfil them and that Heaven and Earth shall pass away before one jot or tittle of these should perish until all was fulfilled Thus he asserted the Authority of the Old Testament before his death And after his Resurrection he made a real demonstration that the Old
Testament was given by inspiration of God for on the day of his Resurrection falling into company of two of his Disciples going to Emmaus He began at Moses and all the Prophets and expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself And afterward when the Eleven were come together as a recapitulation of this his method and that he might instruct his Disciples in it he said unto them These were the words which I spake unto you while I was yet with you that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and in the Prophets and in the Psalms in the Volume of Old Testament concerning me He opened their understandings and said thus it is written and thus it behoved And as a short Idea of whâ—t they were to do he tells them and ye are Witnesses of these things 2. In pursuance of this method we find the Evangelists very curious and very frequent in observing the accomplishment of the Prescriptions of the Old Testament reciting sometimes the speeches of Christ saying that he did such or such a thing to the end that the Scriptures might be fulfilled I will not eat of the fruit of the Vine till all things be fulfilled Sometimes in their own Persons observing the accomplishment of particulars and noting either particular portions of Scriptures which were fulfilled or the fulfilling of the Scriptures cited at large without any particular Quotation Thus the Evangelists writing of the Conception Nativity Name of Christ of his coming out of Egypt dwelling at Nazareth migration to Capernaum riding to Jerusalem Say that these things were done that the Scriptures or the saying of the Prophet at large might be fulfilled So likewise for the circumstances of his Passion the flight of his Disciples casting lots upon his Garments Vinegar given him to drink piercing his side bones remaining unbroken c. Other times they note the particular Prophet Christ healed Diseases spoke in Parables and that the saying of Isaiah the Prophet might be fulfilled When Herod slew the Children then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the Prophet Rachel weeping for her Children c. and once we find a quotation of the second Psalm and the like This for the Evangelists 3. Lastly the Divine Authority of the Old Testament is asserted by the Apostles Whom we find every where in their Writings citing the Testimonies of the Law and the Prophets and the Psalms appealing to them what saith the Scripture the Scripture hath concluded so or so Aâ—guing out of them oft times directly thus not only the Apostles but Apollos mightily convinced the Jews sometimes ab absurdo do ye think the Scripture speaks in vain In a word the Apostles followed the way and method which their Master taught them they asserted that the Gospel was promised by the Prophets witnessed by the Law and the Prophets by all the Prophets Affirming of themselves that they believed all things written in the Law and in the Prophets and that they continued testifying and saying no other things than the Prophets and Moses did say should come Finally lest any place should be left for doubting concerning any part of the Old Testament the Apostles have expresly asserted concerning the Law that it is holy just and good that the Prophets are holy and the Scriptures holy that they are the Oracles of God lively Oracles that God spake by the Prophets that holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost Lastly in the Text that the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wherein Timothy had been instituted by his Mother were given by inspiration of God This is the sense of the New Testament concerning the Old Testament supposing therefore the Truth of the New Testament the Divine Authority of the Old Testament is to be acknowledged contrary to the first Opinion of the Anti-scripturists II. The Second Anti-scriptural Opinion is of those who pretend to believe the Truth but they deny or doubt the Divine Authority of the New Testament either of the whole body of the New Testament or at least of that part which delivers the Speeches and Writings of the Apostles Of this sort there are said to be many who by the power and influence of their Education are restrained from denying or dis-believing the Truth of the New Testament and yet through the infelicity of corrupt conversation are fallen from that Veneration which is due to writings supposed to be of Divine Authority For the History of the New Testament they have the same respect which they have for Tacitus or Salust or some such other History for the Mystery of the Gospel the same which they have for some parts of Plato or remnants of Pythagoras For the practical parts the same which they have for some parts of Cicero or Seneca or Epictetus All which writings they believe to be true but no man believes them to be Divine And some there are who pretend a great veneration for the speeches of Christ but have a meaner esteem for the words and writings of the Apostles In opposition to these Opinions I shall shew that supposing the words of Christ and the Apostles to be True it will follow that they are to be esteemed to be of Divine Authority Because Christ and the Apostles did profess and declare that what they delivered to the world was of Divine Authority And because our Lord Christ did undertake not only for himself but for the Inspiration of his Apostles also 1. In the examination of the next Opinion I shall be obliged to lay before you some of the evidences of Divine Authority in Christ and his Apostles here it is sufficient to produce their assertions of it The time of our Lord Christs ministration betwixt three and four years was spent in preaching and working and his Authority was often questioned In Luke 20.1 and in the parallel places While he was in the Temple teaching the People and preaching the Gospel the Chief Priests and the Scribes and the Elders came upon him saying tell us by what Authority thou dost these things preachest to the people and who gave thee that Authority Knowing the perversness of their minds he was not pleased to gratifie them at that time with a direct answer but confounded them with a question concerning the Baptism of John But at Other times upon Other occasions we find the Divine Authority of his teaching abundantly declared and asserted by him I am the way the truth and the life The words which I speak unto you they are spirit and they are life The words which I speak I speak not of my self but of the Father which dwelleth in me My Doctrine is not mine but his that sent me I do nothing of my self but as my
Father hath taught me so I speak I have not spoken of my self but the Father that sent me he gave me a Commandment what I should say and what I should speak Whatsoever I speak therefore even as the Father said unto me so I speak Heaven and Earth shall pass away but my words shall not pass away Thus did our Saviour assert the Divine Authority of his Words 2. And so likewise the Apostles are very frequent in asserting the Divine Authority of the things which they delivered In the 15. of the Acts we find them assembled about the question of Circumcision and they accounted it no robbery to entitle their Decrees to the Holy Ghost It seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us v. 18. Nor do they pretend to revelation when gathered in Council only but each one severally for himself S. Peter professes of himself that he was a partaker of the glory which was revealed And of his Gospel that it was revealed from Heaven S. John declares that he had 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with the Father and the Son as for his other writings that they contained the things which he had heard and seen with his eyes which he had looked on and his hands had handled of the Word of life As for the Apocalypse he professes that being in the Spirit in the Isle of Patmos he received it and was commanded to write it in a Book The greatest writer among the Apostles was S. Paul and the greatest Question hath always been amongst Unbelievers concerning his Calling and the Authority of his Gospel He knew this very well and therefore we find him asserting both his Calling and his Gospel with abundant care and diligence He affirms himself to have been an Apostle not of man neither by man but by Jesus Christ and God the Father That by God himself he was separated to preach constituted a Preacher an Apostle and a Defender of the Gospel As concerning his Gospel he professes to have received it by Revelation of God As for the Spirit wherewith he wrote and preached he professed himself ready to give a proof of Christ speaking in him He appealed to the Prophetick Spirit then in the Church If any man think himself a Prophet or Spiritual let him acknowledge the things which I write to be the Commandments of God Out of this assurance it was that he enjoined his Epistles to be read in the Churches of Coloss Laodicea Thessalonica and i excommunicates such as should be disobedient in that particular And lest any one should here repeat the Objection made against our Saviour Thou bearest witness of thy self thy witness is not true S. Paul speaking of all the Apostles affirms that God had set them in the Church and that the Mystery of the Gospel was revealed to the holy Apostles by the Spirit Particularly notwithstanding that dispute betwixt S. Peter and S. Paul from the first Ages of the Church to our own Times objected by Unbelievers to the prejudice of Religion it is remarkable that in the same place where S. Paul gives an account how Peter was to be blamed and how and wherefore he withstood him to his face at Antioch he doth expresly affirm that the Gospel of the Circumcision was committed to Peter and that God wrought effectually in Peter to the Apostleship of the Circumcision On the other side S. Peter in that very place where he may seem to complain of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of S. Paul yet even there he owns him as his beloved Brother acknowledges his Wisdom to have been given him of God and numbers all his Epistles inter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 amongst the other Scriptures 3. Lastly for such as would put a difference of degrees betwixt the Authority of the words of Christ and the writings and Sermons of the Apostles they may take notice that the Authority of these resolves it self into the veracity of Christ himself He it was who being to leave the World promised his Disciples again and again that he would send down upon them the Holy Spirit that should instruct them and teach them all things that should Lead them into all truth Bring to their remembrance all things which he himself had spoken that should shew them things to come that with this Spirit they should not be lightly dash'd or sprinkled but that they should be Baptized and as it were plunged into it How all these Promises were performed and how the Assertions of the Divine Authority of the Words of Christ and the Apostles were proved to be true I am next to shew In the interim I conclude that supposing the truth of the words of Christ and his Apostles they are to be esteemed of Divine Authority III. The third Opinion is of such as pretend to believe matters of fact to have been truly related in the New Testament but they do not believe the truth of the Doctrinal parts relating to Faith or Manners Of these there have always been too great a number not only pretenders who under a form of Christianity deny the power thereof but generally all sorts of Hereticks When Porphyrius had revolted from Christianity to Platonism and had bent all his Forces against the Scripture-History he was refuted not only by Lactantius and Methodius men Orthodox in Doctrine but by Eusebius and Apollinaris and of late days Socinus and others have well asserted the truth of the Scripture-History who yet have been offended at the dogmatical parts of the Gospel and concerning the Faith have made shipwrack In Opposition to these I shall endeavour to demonstrate that Supposing Matters of Fact to be truly related in the New Testament it is unreasonable to suspect the truth of any of the Doctrines delivered by Christ or his Apostles Amongst the various fancies concerning Religion wherewith the whole world hath been always embroiled Two things there are wherein all the Sons of Adam have agreed namely 1. That that is to be believed which hath received the testimony of God And 2. That this testimony is to be gathered from instances of supernatural Wisdom and Power In the study of natural and Philosophical Theologie the Speculativi amongst the Greeks and Romans and other Nations sought after Wisdom Reason and Demonstration But to reduce the People to the forms of religious Rites and Sacrifices prescribed them they were made to believe the Epiphanies of the Gods and the manifestations of their Wisdom and Power by Oracles and Works supernatural To these even Mahomet preâ—â—â—â—ded though his great Argumeâ—◠〈…〉 the Sword and of the Jews I need not speak For a Foundation of Religion and in our inquisition after that short of this Testimony we ought not to stay further we cannot go And herein is the utmost of humane wisdom to consider well those Evidences upon which we adventure the interest