down the Kingdome which Satan hath alwaies laboured to set up to himself in the would through the lusts of Men. There are but two parties in the world whatever men may dream and of these one is for Gods and the other for the Devils Kingdome and command Now whiles all men are by nature and of themselves addicted to the Devils interest in serving their own lusts and the most are alwaâ—…es this way given there must be more then an ordinary power to preserve that doctrine which cries down all sinfull interests and advances only the glory of Christ in his Kingdome The greatest work done by the doctrine of Christ is the subâ—…uing of mens hearts and lives to the obedience of the only Lawgiver But whiles it is a doing this work it alwaies meets with many and great disadvantages from the world that makes account to silence it quite and even swallow it up And if it be consider'd what contrariety and enmity is in the hearts of men against this doctrine and the weak and contemptibie means it had to advance and promote it against that arm of flesh which was listed up against it who can conclude otherwise then that God alone was its strength and therein shew'd himself the owner and author of it For the Pen-men and first publishers of it they were most of them of low estate and degree in the world and had indeed nothing to protect them more then the shadow of the Almighties wings And for those who profest the doctrine of Christ in Scripture were they not for the most part of the same rank and quality For the Pen-men they never insinuated themselves to curry favour with any by goodly titles or flatteries as men commonly do that write by their own instinct Nor is Scripture composed as may be observ'd as if it meant to take men with excellency of speech or mans wisdom Only which is remarkable there is in it a majesty and it speaks with a majestick auâ—…hority such as pretends an Author of it more then man For such as professed the doctrine of Christ in Scripture what reward had they in the world more then troubles and sufferings even to greatest extremity many of them Now who can look on these who have been the instruments and means of propagating and promoting the doctrine of Scripture and not presently bethink himself of some hidden invisible power that upheld them and the work they were ingaged in Let it be considered too that those poor souls who in all ages chose to suffer rather then forsake the doctrine of Christ taught in Scripture cannot be rationally suspected as guilty of a perverse spirit transporting them to maintain what once they had taken up though with the loss of all that was dear to them For how unlikely is it that such a multitude at so great a distance both in place and time should be all so unanimous and that in cool blood against many temptations and entreaties to favour themselves in a deliberate resolved laying down lives and all for a thing of uncertainty yea for any thing less then the matters of their Eternity Nothing else could provoke and put them on to encounter those hard trials of afflictions but the faith they had in Scripture-promises and the fear of that word which threatens all without exception Promises such as no creature durst to make and threats of judgement and vengeance beyond all the power of creatures to inflict These considerations and nothing else could â—…way them to hate Father and Mother and House and Lands yeâ—… and their own Lives seeing they were not mad men or such as had cast off all natural affection to themselves or theirs but held them clear and precious as their own souls Nothing for certain could put them upon such hâ—…zards and adventures but the impulâ—…es of that spirit which spoke and wrote those scripture-Scripture-truths as their greatest and only concernments And to reason no further How credible is it that God should suffer the world to be so long abused and deceived by a fardle of lyes fathered upon himself Questionless if Scripture be not indeed the very word of God it can be no other then the most pernicious and blasphemous lye that ever was vented by man or Devil For it calls it self by the name of Gods word and avouches him the authour of it and what can be said more false and blasphemous if it be â—…ot what it pretends to be And would God suffer such a lye to pass â—…urrant so long in the world to his â—…ishonour without checking it Some Impostures have prevailed 〈◊〉 and for a long time They have and it is confessed and Mahomets Alcoran may be an instance But how came that to get place with â—…o many was it not beaten as I may â—…ay into mens brains with dint of word Besides was it not a doctrine â—…hat gain'd it self credit by gratifying â—…ens â—…ilthy lusts Avenge your selves said he to his followers and take as â—…any wivâ—…s as you are able to keep And what hath served to spread and propagate other devices and inventions of men but the craft and subtlety of â—…uch as lay in wait to deceive or the â—…uelty of unreasonable men that knew the most of the world are wonâ—… to comply with that Religion which complies most with their ease and fleshly interests But the doctrine of Christ designs nothing but self deniall and to this it doth most authoritatively call both high and low rich and poor none excepted no not 〈◊〉 the greatest upon earth Now thâ—… a doctrine which requires a man wiâ—… greatest importunity to submit all 〈◊〉 interests and enjoyments to the wiâ—… of God and make performance accordingly whenever the glory 〈◊〉 God or the good of men call for it or give occasion of it should take place and prevaile and that against all means used for suppressing it 〈◊〉 such a miracle of Divine providence as we may justly call it a seale which God hath set to assure us of Scriptureâ—… Divine authority We know well that any doctrine which sutes with and will serve the lusts and interests of men may easily find entertainment But it is unconceivable how a doctrine of denying self and all things else even the most pleasing to corrupt and sinfull nature should preserve and propagate it self without the help of such an hand as is â—…ble to subdue all things Now Scripture was prepared and penn'd â—…or no other purpose but to shew men the way of honouring God with the utmost abasing of themselves â—…nd it is indeed the great Engine â—…hat God uses to the pulling down of strong holds in the hearts of men â—…nd whatever is exalted in opposition to the glory and government of Jesus Christ in the world And to â—…ay no more of this the word and Spirit of Christ have subdued mankind to the obedience of his name so far as the world is or can be justly called and accounted Christian. It were easie for me
to Revelations now adayes And for any other way of knowing these mysteries then by Scripture we know none and therefore resolve it is of God and cannot be of any other How much will this argument be enforc'd when we further consider of many other particulars reveal'd in Scripture which none but God could possibly know As that there are three that bear record in heaven That God was manifested in our flâ—…sh so as the alone Mediatour was God-Man in one Person Could any creature declare these if it were not inspir'd and â—…ht of God Again How could any Creature come to know how â—…he world was made or how could man come to know how himself was first made out of the dust Can the creature remember the time or know the manner of its own Creation And where have we these but in Scripture You will say these and the like are reveal'd in Scripture But how doth the argument hold good that the Scripture is of God because these things are revealed in it The argument is good and cannot be otherwise accounted by any that are not professed Antichristians because they own these Revelations as Divine and Heavenly Truths For I say again seeing we have in Scripture the great concernments of our Eternity and so many things past finding out by any creature we must of necessity own and acknowledge God alone to have written this word Nay Atheists themselves cannot but know that they are dust And now I shall enforce this by shewing further that Scripture cannot be the work or invention of any Creature either Angels or Men good or bad Good men or Angels would never devise such things and say they were of God For that would be such a belying God as we cannot rationally believe them capable of Wicked men and Devils would never attempt any such thing as penning publishing such a Book which tends so much to the exalting of God and the abasing of themselves This would have been to destroy and overthrow all which they labour so much to uphold Hence we make this challenge who it was that composed this Book we call the Bible if God did not If any object that it may be a collection of many things made up out of the monuments of many ages We may justly demand what hands they were that compiled them and when and where they liv'd If they lived in Moses time how could they write of the Kings If in the times of the former Kings how could they give an account of the latter If in the times of the latter how came the dispersed Jews to have so many Copies of the Law of Moses In a word how could any man or men write of so many things done in so many ages so far distant one from another or how could any man give an account of what was done from the very beginning and before man was made If it be said that it is the work of many in several ages we desire to be satisfied How all should agree so exactly together and who were they that compiled our Bibles or how came they all to agree in calling it the Word of God Mahomet indeed compiled a Book which is to Turks and others as the Scripture is to us For those deluded souls count the Alcoran their Rule of faith and manners And Mahomet calls himself a great Prophet and so his followers account of him to this day But what reasonable man sees not a bundle of fallacies and follies in that Book which by its contradictions and ridiculous relations confutes it self without more ado There are many passages in Scripture which seem to contradict one another There are so but they seem only contradictions and are not such indeed And who are they which apprehend such contracictions are they not commonly such as are most ignorant or least affected to the Scripture But the mutual consâ—…ency of all those passages may be soon found out by all that are intelligent and will use their diligence for that end And what is there were some passages to us irreconcilable will it follow they are such in themselves Surely the general consistency of Scripture with it self might be enough to perswade us rather to charge our selves with ignorance then to suspect it of any mistake And here I cannot omit what a learned man hath observed viz. a majestick kind of security as he is pleased to câ—…ll it in the Scriptures under many 〈◊〉 yea maâ—… sâ—…mingly bold and â—…urous contradictions that yâ—… either the honour of their truth nor that unity which they have in and with themselves shall as he saith at all suffer by For reconciling those seeming contradictions it is not my work at present Only I shall give you one consideration which I find in the same Author and it is this That Scriptures do not stand to excuse or purge themselves as if there were any cause to â—…ffect them of any crossâ—… or contrariety unto one another No They speak from place to place what they have a mind to say with that liberty and freedom as if there were nothing said by them elsewhere that either was like to suffer the least prejudice by it or else to cast the least prejudice on it They that have a mind to satisfie themselves further about this consideration may read his Discourse of the Divine Authority of the Scriptures Pag. 55 56 c. I shall adde for a further confirmation of Scriptures Divine Authority That whatever it hath foretold hath been accordingly fulfilled and that not as Stâ—…gazers Prognoflications atrandom and adventure but punctually and precisely in every particular circumstance So the New Testament confirm the Old by shewing how what was foretold many ages and some thousands of years before came to be fulfilled and accomplished in every particular just as it was foretold Many things we know may be foreseen in their causes so as intelligent and observant men may foretell them as more then meer surmises or conjectures and the Devil probably can do very much this way But Scripture foretells those things of which no reason of man can make any probable conjecture because as they are high and heavenly so they are purely contingent depending only on the will and pleasure of God and therefore the exact performance of those things in all particulars is a strong evidence to prove it written by the singer of God And hence it is so often repeated in the New Testament That it might be fulfilled c. But here is no warrant more then Scripture whose authority is the thing that is questioned 1. We have the consent and testimony of an ient Heathen writers who have recorded and hinted many of those particulars Besides none of the Heathens ever contradicted those Prophecies or the fulfilling of them as for instance our Saviours Birth Death Resurrection c. Though questionless they would have done their utmost had they not been silenced by the notoriety
it was in the Apostles time We have said enough to shew how Tradition which they so much commend and magnifie may fail and so prove no infallible Testimony And who were our Forefathers from whom we learnt our faith we have shewed already and now shall name some of them viz. The Reformers in the last ages and Jo. Hu and Hiâ—…rome of Prague and before them Wickliff and before him the Waldenses and all that protested against the Churches corruptions in all ages upward as might be shewed if it were pertinent Jo. Whites Way p. 336. § 45. 337. Digress 48. 2. Tradition being the Testimony of the Church let Papists first ascertain us which is the true Church whose Testimony we must believe For our parts we know none upon earth that pretend to Christianity that do not account themselves the true Church and that avow not themselves to have the true faith which the Apostles delivered Now there being so many pretenders we are at as great a loss wich Tradition as without it since all say they hold the Apostolick faith and yet extreamly differ one from another not in few matters or small at least some of them And it is said and granted on all hands that there are dissenters and of these some are ignorant and some obstinate and some Scepticks and we know too many professing Christians who are in their wayes and doings no better then Infidels Now may not any or all of these question Tradition as well as Scripture upon this pretence that they know not which is the Church whose Testimony they are obliged to believe If it be said as it hath been by some that there is no Christian but knows the Church It may be justly replyed that there is no Christian but knows the Scripture as well For all that own not Scripture we may justly disown them as being no Christians A man may be a Christian it is confessed though he never saw a Bible if he have heard the doctrine of Christ as many Gentiles yea all for ought I know did in the first times of the Church when the Gospel was first preached to them by the Apostles But to be a Christian and not know the doctrine of Christ is a pure contradiction Now how we shall know which Church gives the truest testimony to the doctrine of Christ if not by Scripture let Papists resolve us for we know not what to answer We think among so many pretenders there will be differences such as â—â—â—â—adition will no better reconcile then Scripture and that as Protestants cannot agree about the sense of Scripture but some interpret it one way and some another so they and others will agree no better about the Church and its Tradition For as I have said there are many Churches and those hugely differing in some things and yet all pretend to the Apostolick faith Therefore we have need of somewhat to ascertain us of that Church which hath preserved and delivered down all along the same faith which the Apostles taught For the true Catholick Church we believe it hath been faithfull in its testimony to the truth in all ages But we Protestants cannot own the Church of Rome as such though we know there was there one sound part of the Catholick Church in the Apostles times Papists indeed pretend and boast great things of their Church but what is that to us who can well distinguish between a Roman-Catholick and a Catholick Christian. Here then we Protestants resolve to believe the Church for the Scripture and not the Scripture for the Church And yet we allow what that ancient Father saith of himself That he had not believed Scripture but for the Church For we know that after he came once to learn the Scriptures he then believed it not upon account of the Churches authority but it s own only The Church we grant may at first perswade Infidels to attend and heed the Scripture as the Word of God even as the woman perswaded her neighbours to come and see Christ. But as they when they had heard him themselves believed not because of her saying but because of his own word even so is â—…in the case that now is in question The Church of Christ hath the office of ministry to hold out the light that others who are in darkeness may see it But this will never prove the Church to have such an authority as Papists plead for and much less that their Church is the Catholick Church which only holds the Apostolick faith And when they have said all they can they say no more then any Church never so corrupt will say for it self viz. That it hath the doctrine of Christ which the Apostles taught Hence we say again that Tradition leaves us at an irrecoverable loss and that we must have somewhat more certain then the Churches testimony which any company of never so corrupt principles may pretend unto as well as the Church of Rome 3. We desire to be satisfied whether the doctrine delivered down be true because the Church hath delivered it or that the Church hath delivered it because it is the truth For we think the Church ought to receive and believe the truth only and to deliver that and nothing else to be believed by others and if it received other then the truth it was deceived and if it delivered other it was not only deceived but deceived others also The Church can make nothing to be true but what is such before of it self and all it can do is to declare the truth which it hath received and perswade others to believe it Therefore when Papists press us as they do about our being assured of Scripture we say that we believe it upon account of its own authority because it speaks it self the Word of God For as when a place of trust and honor is conferred upon a person by his Prince and assured to him under the Great Seal though the messenger that brings the Patent may avow it to be the Princes act yet that which gives assurance to the person of his interest in that office and honour is the Patent it self and the Seal annext So we know the voice of God speaking to us in his Word and even so hath the true Church in all ages received Scripture as the true Word of God and commended it to others for such as a Patent sealed from Heaven 4. We desire to know when the Church first resolved the Case in Question and determined what is the doctrine of Christ. For the 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 Councils we count them of a latter date and but of yesterday in comparison For our part we think under correction of better judgments that the Canon was agreed upon very early because two eminent ones among the Ancients â—…counted upon the same number of Canonical Books which we now do and one of them saith that the Canonicall authority of the old and new Testament was confirmed in the Apostles times And that
to be sweet because he hath tasted of it Labour I say to set your Probatum cst to every Gospel-truth that you may be able to say out of your own experience this is the truth of Christ and cannot be otherwise Then you may reason as that woman did Joh. 4. 29. Come see a man that hath told me all things that ever I did Is not this the Christ So you may say here is doctrine that hath discovered me as nothing else could have done Can this be any other then the Word of God there is nothing in it but what I am certainly assured of by what I know and have found and felt in my self Surely God who is infinitely good could never produce out of himself such an unclean thing as I am by nature And that I am now altogether corrupted so as in me dwelleth no good thing I know by experience Hence I cannot in the least question what Scripture hath revealed concerning the fall of man from that estate of holiness wherein God first made him For I am sure of it because I find my natural and sinfull condition discovered to me in Scripture just as I have felt in my self and so laid open as I could never express it yea or have imagined it And so is all that I read of the womans seed Christ and all the graces of Christ revealed in me as that my heart is now the counterpart as it were of that act of pardon drawn with Gods own hand and recorded in the Scriptures of truth For the wayes of Gods Commandments I now find they are not grievous but all pleasant easie and plain as scripture makes them I care noâ—… for the reasonings of men so long as I know the truths of God by what I find and feel in my self And for a motive take this viz. Thou canst never be well rooted in the faith otherwise Let the head be never so full fraught with knowledge so long as the heart is not seasoned with grace a man is capable of being overcome by such arguments as will be suggested from worldly and sleshly Interests He that loves any thing better then Christ what ever be his present profession or resolution may be disswaded from following him when he comes to tempted with fears or favours from the world Only he who hath learnt Christ as the truth is in him to put off the old and put on the new man is impregnable in all assaults having the root of the matter in him such as will never quaile or die right away Many a Demas hath fallen off having loved this present world and no arguments will make a man invincible to all temptations but an unfeigned saith that is alway attended with a good conscience This and nothing else can give a man Sure-footing in his Christianity There is many a great Scholar who can dispute the truth against all gainsayers and never be moved or shaken because he is throughly studied in the grounds of it and understands the deceits and fallacies of all who are otherwise minded But so long as his heart is not right with God he is but as a tree with a great top that may soon be turned up by the roots if there come a great tempest or blast of temptation from worldly Interest either to fright or flatter him out of his Religion Hence I say again never think your selves well grounded in your Christianity tâ—…ll you have studied the Scriptures and your own hearts together and found by experience that you are transformed by the renewing of your minds into that doctrine which is therein delivered to you 3. And when you have found out the Divine truth in Scripture by your experimental feeling of the grace and power in it labour to hold it fast and by no means let it go Buy the truth and sell it not but contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the Saints If any now question how this is to be done my advice is 1 To order all your ways and doings exactly according as you find the Rule of them laid down in Scripture For it is not the profession or forme but the power of godliness as I said before that will will keep you stedfast unto the end Now Loosness and Carelesness in your ways and walkings will expose you to temptations and not only so but they will also loosen and unrivet your souls from cleaving so close to the truth as you have formerly done You will find by wofull experience that any indulgence to worldly Interests and fleshly lusts will much weaken your wonted affections to the truths of Christ and if there be a continuance of that indulgence it will eat out all the life and heart of your Religion so as you will never suffer or venture much for that which you love no better So long as your hearts are kept warm in the love of the truth so long only you are stedfast and unmoveable in the profession of it There are many Protestants so called who know little the more pitty of what they profess And there are too many who whatever they profess or know are vitious and abominable in their lives and conversations For these we must leave them to the mercy of God in hope that yet their eyes may be opened and their hearts turned But we cannot reasonably expect that such should be constant in their profession if once they meet with a strong temptation Alas how should they who know and love the truth no better Yea though men may perswade themselves and others in a calme what courage and resolution they have and will be ready to shew in a storm yet if there be not sincerity and real mortification of all lusts constantly endeavoured and exercised their hearts will deceive them when they are most confident of them Any prevailing Interest in a Soul is as a strong biass in a boule A man may aim to cast the boule so as it shall run in a right line to the mark but the biass will never suffer it to run as is intended And so it will prove by every one whose heart hath a biass in it For it will turn aside ere it come half way home whither its Interest carries it Sirs it is no small matter to abide by a mans profession and Religion when he is put to it by any great tryal whether of persecution or promotion Nay how can it be at all unless the Interest of Christ and the allurements of his love are such as will counterpoyse all that is laid into the ballance against them Will any man in cool blood venture life and all unless there be somewhat of far more worth to countervaile the loss this therefore must be in order to our stedfastness in the faith viz. A constant exercise of practical godliness for keeping up a good understanding and correspondence between God and our Souls that we may be so warmed with continual influences from Heaven as to say with the Apostle