the Old Testament or the gospels of Mark and Luke to be canonical Scriptures yea that there be any divine Scriptures is not altogether necessary unto salvation How dissonant this is from the voice of Christ and his Apostle in the Gospel is to be discerned in many Texts whereof I will recite but three First our Saviour commands to search the Scriptures because in them or by them men think to have eternal (a) John 5.39 life This he spake in approbation of mens esteem of the Scriptures as the means to bring them to everlrsting life And S. John saith These are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God and that believing ye might have life through his (b) John 20.31 name And S. Paul saith I am not ashamed of the Gospell of Christ for it is the power of God to salvation to every one that (c) Rom. 1.16 believeth From those Texts I reason thus against the former affirmations of Bellarmine The means ordained and designed by God to any end are altogether necessary in respect of us to the attaining of that end But the Scriptures are the means ordained and designed by God of faith and salvation as the former Texts declare and therefore are altogether necessary in respect of us unto faith and salvation and so consequently necessary so to be believed of us which refels the foresaid affirmations of Bellarmine and declares them to be very contumelious to the blessed Bible of God Now in and for all these forenamed respects divers great and esteemed Champions and propugners of the Romane faith have not refrained to blemish the Bible with sundy inglorious and ignominious titles Eckius calls it a black Gospel and an incky (a) Eck. Enchir. cap. 4. Divinity Pighius calls it a nose of (b) Pigh Hier. lib. 3. cap. 3. wax others a Lesbian or leaden rule an abbreviated word the weak and false castle of holy (c) Brislow Motive 48. Scripture with other such like indecent epithetes Theâ—e the modern writers amongst them seek to varnish over as knowing it must needs blemish the purity of their profession and verity of their Religion thus to vilifie God's most holy Word but the colour and complexion which they daub them withal is so thin and transparent that it cannot hide the indecency and unseemlinesse of them from a weak sight Now if the truth of Christian Religion may be judged by the honourable respect yielded by the professors thereof to the rule of Christian Religion which is the Scripture as the Romanists confesse after a sort as hath been already declared then doth it appear by what hath been said and proved that the Reformed Protestant Religion is the truest Religion as which ascribes most honour thereunto For as when two women claimed the motherhood of one child wise Solomon quickly sifted out the truth which was the true mother of it by the tender love and affection which the one shewed unto it more then the (a) 1 Kin. 3.27 other So in like manner may any wise man find forth by the same rule which is the true daughter of holy Scripture whether the Romane or Reformed Religion seeing both of them claim it as their mother namely by the tender respect and due observance wherewith it is followed by the one more then the other In the next place as the Reformed Religion is owned by the Scripture as the genuine daughter thereof by the due reverence and honour which it exhibiteth unto it so also and more especially because it holdeth forth such doctrine as is most consonant and agreeable thereunto For to omit the disquisition of particular controversies between the said several professors which would require vast volumes to lay open the Reformed Churches refuse not to be tryed by the splendent light of the written word in any point of Religion whatsoever And this our blessed Saviour makes a signal demonstration of the professors of the truth for saith he He that doth truth cometh to the light that his deeds might be made manifest that they are wrought in (b) John 3.21 God And that by light here our Saviour means the Scripture many other Texts make it unquestionable where this epithete is given unto it David saith of it Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my (a) Psal 119.105 path Solomon saith The commandment is a lamp and the law is (b) Prov. 6.23 light S. Peter saith We have a more sure word of prophesie whereunto ye do well that ye take heed as unto a light that shineth in a dark (c) 2 Pet. 1.19 place Now on the other side the Romanists decline the decision and determination of many points of Religion that are controverted between us and them by Scripture and flie to Tradition And some of their writers in plain terms confesse that some of their Tenets are such as cannot be defended by Scripture So saith (d) Canis Catechis cap. 5. de praecept Eccles Canisius and of this sort he reckons up these the worship of Images set Fasts Lent the Masse and Prayers and Offerings for the dead with others more which yet he doth not nominate But some other of them and by name Petrus a Soto a famous Author of their party in his book against Brentius reheaseth sundry other as the invocation of Saints the primacy of the Bishop of of Rome the seven Sacraments communion under one kind indulgencies and Purgatory the beginning author and original of which he confesseth cannot be found in the sacred Scripture as witnesseth the learned Doctor (a) Whittak de Script perfect cap. 5. Whittaker Now though they alledge Scripture for some of these lest they should seem too much to slight it yet their chief ground for them is Tradition Whereas therefore they decline the tryal of some points of Religion which they hold by the written word which yet they confesse to be a most safe rule of faith as before hath been declared it proclaims to the world that they are not such fast friends to it as they preâ—end nor hold such correspondence with it as all true and right Churches ever have done and so consequently that they are neither the only true Church of God as they vainly and most untruly boast nor yet such a Church wherewith it 's safe to have communion And as it 's not safe to joyn hands with these so neither with the newly upstart Sectaries the Anabaptists for I will undertake to demonstrate if my genuis fail me not that both these sorts of Christian professors are express contradictors of Scripture affirmations in divers particulars And I le begin first with the Papists as the elder house First Our Saviour saith When ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you say We are unprofitable servants we have done that which was our duty to (b) Luke 17.10 do They say that a man may supererogate and do more then
with this word speaks it to be his own ordinance for else God would give no such blessing to it Fourthly and lastly It ministers comfort above the power of nature to a depressed and distressed conscience in the greatest extremities and pressures of afflictions that are incident to this present life yea and in the very hour of death against the fear both of death and hell and condemnation when all humane comforts shake hands with us and forsake us And therefore extending it self beyond the power of nature also in this particular it 's apparently divine That it doth minister comfort to wounded and distressed consciences needs no proof it 's confessed of all without contradiction as having been proved by examples without number in all Ages And that nothing else can either heal or comfort a wounded and perplexed conscience is as true too Mirth and passime with such like avooations and the society of friends may allay the smart of this wound for a time but cannot possibly heal it It 's this balm of Gilead this rod and this staffe of God which comforted (a) Psal 23.4 David and but for which he had perished in his (b) Psal 119.92 affliction which alone and nothing else comforteth all that make a right use of it in their deepest misery And this is one and a principal end for which this word was written namely that it might minister comfort to us in this present life by breeding in us a stedfast hope of a better Iâ—fâ— to come This S. Paul teacheth where he saith that Whasoever things were written aforetime were written for our instruction that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have (c) Rom. 15.4 hope And now that I have led up the Reader to this highest stair of this gradation whence he may contemplate the glorious beams of divine lustre bespread throughout the whole region of Scripture I shall beseech him to stay here his thoughts and to demur and pause a while upon this last reason or Argument drawn from the power of Scripture to prove the divinity of it for it 's a very valid and powerful argument indeed a most evident eviction of the point in hand making it conspicuous to the eye of reason it self for here he may see God himself bearing witnesse of this Scripture to be his by four visible seals which he affixeth unto it which are these four supernatural effects now mentioned Having therefore so many broad seals of Heaven appensed unto it it must needs hold forth from it self the highest and surest ground of credibility that it is of God and not of man I confesse this hath sealed to my own conscience both that the Scripture is God's true word and that the Church of England is God's true Church I mean one member and branch of it for in it I see and so may all that are in it if their eyes be not holden with prejudice these wonderful and divine effects now mentioned wrought ordinarily by the ministry of this Word in deed and in truth and that without number which could not possibly be so if either the Word or the Church were not God's For if the Church were his and not the Word the Church should receive a blessing from him but not by the Word And if the Word were his and not the Church the Word should be glorified but the Church should not be blessed or bettered by it If all such as now separate themselves from this Church as if it were none of God's whether Papists or Anabaptists would mindfully consider this and lay aside their prejudice I cannot see what should withhold them from a speedy and joyful return to it again And now I am in good hope the promises being well considered that the Readers who before took the Scriptures for God's word upon the credit of the Churches testimony will now looking more inquisitively into them themselves then heretofore say to the Church as the Samaritans said to the woman that told them of Christ Now we believe not because of thy saying for we have seen it our selves (a) Joh. 4.42 and know that this is indeed God's own Word Yet I would not here be mistaken as if I meant that every one that looks into Scripture might presently espy this at the first sight for I confesse that the sight and certain knowledge thereof which is to be attained by this introspection into it is not obvious to every eye that looks upon it but my meaning is that this truth is evident in Scripture in it self and to the humble intelligent and inquisitive Reader whose mind is also prepared by the knowledge of the grounds principles of the Christian faith and in some measure inlightened from above Neither do I here slight or undervalue the Churches testimony for I acknowledge it to be very important and useful for this purpose as being a prime inducer and as it were a paedagogue to usher in and conduct us to the principal teacher of this truth which next after the spirit of God himself is the heavenly light of Scripture it self but it 's neither last nor best nor highest nor surest ground and proof thereof And therefore I desire the Reader to take notice that though I have not alledged the Churches testimony by it self as a particular argument to prove this truth because the drift of this Treatise is to shew the Scripture it self best to do it yet is it involved and lapped up amongst the external and lesse principal proofs namely in the second and third arguments And whereas Papists glory much in that saying of S. Augustines which is oft set down in his works Ego verò non crederem Evangelio nisi me Catholicae Ecclesiae commoveret authoritas That is I would not believe the Gospel but that the authority of the Catholique Church moved me As if this saying of his favoured their Tenet in this controversie between us and them It appears clearly to the contrary from another saying that he hath in his Tractate upon the Gospell of S. John where he speaks thus upon those words before mentioned of the Samaritans to the woman Now we believe not because of thy saying for we have seen it our selves Primò saith he per faeminam posteà per praejentiam sic agitur hodiè cum eis qui foris sunt nondùm sunt (a) Aug. in Joh. 4. Tract 15. Christiani That is first by the woman then by his presence so fareth it now with them that are without and are not yet Christians And the words following in the same place shew plainly his meaning to be this That as the Samaritans believed in some measure that Jesus was the Christ by the report of the woman but afterwards more undoubtedly when they came to enjoy his presence to have the sight of him and conference with him So the unbelievers which are out of the Church are first induced to believe in some measure that Scripture is God's
tells us that the Angels had a desire to look into certain things of Scripture namely the accomplishment of the predictions of Christ's sufferings and glory where the Original Greek word which he useth to expresse their introspection 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the genuine and proper sense signifies a stooping to behold some thing hid which imports that they were ignorant of the full meaning of these prophesies till they were fulfilled and revealed by the Gospel And if to Angels the depth of this divine mystery be inscrutable much more to man who therefore is commanded very oft to read study and search the Scriptures which precepts stand in force to the end of mans life yea to the end of this world and therefore necessarily imply that as there must be no end of searching so neither can there be any end of finding but that a man may find more where he hath found much before and yet leave much unfound still when he hath searched what he can And to this truth the most accomplisht Divines of former times have afforded their suffrage St. Augustine saith In ipsis sanctis Scripturis mulâ—ò nesciâ— plura quam scio (a) August Epist 119. in the holy Scriptures I am ignorant of much more then I know And again he saith Mira profunditas eloquiorum tuorum Deus meus mira profunditas horror est intendere in eam horror honoris tremor amoris (b) Aug. Confess lib. 12. cap. 14. There is a wonderful profoundnesse in thy word O my God a wonderful profoundnesse it makes a man quake to look upon it intentively to quake for reverence and to tremble for the love thereof And a greater Divine then he saith speaking to God himself thereof Thy knowledge is too wonderful for me it is so high that I cannot attain unto it (c) Psal 139.6 And therefore prayeth to God in another place to open his eyes that he might see the wonders of his Law (d) Psal 119 18. Hence then I infer that if neither man nor Angel can wade into the depth of Scripture already invented and set forth then neither man nor Angel could be the inventers and Authors of it but of necessity a superior intelligence to these which can be no other but God himself Neither let any here think that this argument any whit favours the tenet of the Church of Rome which chargeth the Scripture with obscurity for though it be replenished and thereby indeed richly imbellished and beautified with variety of mysticall difficulties so as some things be hard to be understood as St. Peter confesseth (a) 2 Pet. 3.16 yet is it apert and perspicuous also in many places where the necessary way to life eternal is delineated and described and in so many places perspicuous as are sufficient fully to instruct men in all points of absolute necessity to be known and believed unto salvation And agreeable hereto is that speech uttered by wisedome her self (b) Prov. 8.9 All the words of my mouth are plain to him that will understand and straight to them that would find knowledge So that in it is propounded both milk and strong meat that for babes which are unexpert in the word of righteousness and this for them that are at age which through long custome have their wits exercised to discern between good and evil (c) Heb. 5.13 14. And hence have sundry of the fathers compared it to a River where there is a shallow ford for the Lamb to wade in and a profound deep for the Elephant to swim in And least any should suspect our modern Divines to be coiners of this distinction hear what the ancient Orthodox Fathers have taught us about it even from primitive times S. Chrysostome thus speaks Omnia clara sunt ac plana ex Scripturis divinis quaecunque necessaria sunt manifesta sunt (a) Chrysost in 2 Tessal 2. All things are clear and plain out of the holy Scriptures whatsoever things are necessary are manifest S. Augustine thus In his quae aperte posita funt in Scriptura inveniuntur illa omnia quae continent fidem moresque vivendi spem scilicet charitatem (b) Aug. de doctr Christ lib. 2. cap. 9. Amongst those things which are apertly or apparently set down in Scripture are all those things found which contain faith and good manners as namely hope and charity Irenaeus long before them thus as Chemnitius hath it (c) Chem. exa deer Conci Trid. part 1. in loco de Epist Apost prope finem Licet multa sunt obscura parabolica Scripturae loca regula tamen ipsa veritatis in Scripturis sacris in aperto posita est Albeit there be many obscure and parabolical places of Scripture yet the rule of truth it self is clearly set down Nay the Apostle Peter himself laies down the ground of this distinction in the place before cited (a) 2 Pet. 3.16 where he saith of Paul's Epistles that in them some things are hard to be understood for this of necessity implies that some things again be easie I had now done with this Argument but that meeting with Mr. Parson the Jesuite his approbation of it as a most evident declaration that God was the Author of holy Writ I thought I might do well to give notice of it His words are these as they are expressed by one Mr. Bunny who published a Treatise of the said Jesuites about Christian Resolution (b) Parson Resol part 2. cap. 2. sect 3. in 7. proof of Scripture These Doctrines and many other contained in the Bible being things above mans capacity to devise and nothing agreeing with humane reason most evidently do declare that God was the Author and Inditer of the Scriptures for that by him only and by no other those high and secret mysteries could be revealed Where it 's to be noted that he affirms the mysteries of Scripture to declare not only evidently but most evidently that God was the Author of them Which assertion infringeth the doctrine of the present Church of Rome taught by Bellarmine formerly who affirmeth That it cannot be sufficiently known from Scripture alone that there is any divine Scripture (a) Bellar de Verbo Dei lib. 4. cap. 4. arg 4. And of late by one Mr. John Fisher a Jesuite in the frontispiece of his book against Dr. White dedicated to King James where he toils himself to prove That the highest ground and final resolution of faith about this point is the tradition and testimony of the Church which must needs be otherwise if the high and hidden doctrines of the Scripture it self do most evidently declare the same as Mr. Parsons there affirmeth very truly for the most evident declaration of a truth must needs be the highest ground thereof I thought it not impertinent to mention this sentence of Mr. Parsons as speaking for the truth in this controversie between us and the Church of Rome to be defended on our
part when so approved and aplauded a Doctor of their own gives his suffrage with us which I shall further and more fully manifest by other sayings of his and those more punctual and expresse to this purpose in the fift internal argument of this ensuing Treatise whereby all devout Roman Catholiques with us who have many a smooth tale told them by Priests and Jesuits of the unity and consent of all approved Doctors of the Church of Rome in all points of faith may see apparently that this it a false ostentation and a transparent untruth discovering it self also in many other points controverted between us and them and so may deservedly suspect them to be but seducers or at the best but self-seekers in their pretence of the Catholique cause I come now to a fourth evidence of the divinity of Scripture from within it self Argument 8 which is the admirable sympathy and consent the heavenly harmony and agreement between all the books and sayings thereof though penned by divers persons and those both in several places and ages and yet all conspiring together in delivering one and the same point of doctrine to wit That through the name of Christ all that believe in him shall receive remission of sins (a) Acts 10.43 And also the unanimity and concordance of all the Amanuenses and Penmen thereof being so many and yet all yielding their suffrage and approbation each to other as they succeeded one another without either detraction from one anothers persons or confutation or contradiction of one anothers writings This heavenly harmony I say suggests to the ear of an indifferent man that reads without prejudice that these holy men of God as S. Peter calls them (b) 2 Pet. 1.21 the Penmen of Scripture were God's notaries and both spake and writ as they were actuated and moved by the holy Ghost and that these their writings were the very dictates of that same spirit that searchâ—th the deep things of God (a) 1 Cor. 2.10 In which respect both Theodoret (b) In prefat in Psalm and S. Gregory (c) Grego in prefat in Psalm have fitly termed the tongues and hands of all the writers of Scripture the pens of the holy Ghost for such an agreement was never heard of amongst several Authors writing of the same subject since the beginning of the world But the contrary hath been most apparent among all sorts of humane writers every one hunting after his own praise by anothers disgrace whereof I might produce numerous instances Whereas here we have all the Canonical books of the Old Testament namely of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalmes approving each other as they follow in order and all approved of in the New Testament both by our Saviour John Baptist the Apostles and the Evangelists and all these also giving testimony and approbation each to other at all times upon just occasion as all though but slenderly versed in the reading of the Scriptures undoubtedly know Add hereunto that which wil drive this nail to the head the miraculous agreement of all these books together not only in the main point and drift of all which is the salvation of mankind by the alone incarnation death and suffering of Christ but also in all other points yea and in all circumstances as many learned Divines have sufficiently declared by clearing solving and reconciling all knotty doubts about this question and seeming contradictions whatsoever throughout the whole Scriptures that ever yet have been moved or mentioned Fifthly Argu ∣ ment 9 The certain accomplishment of those many prophesies and predictions of holy writ concerning things to come meerly causual and contingent and no way depending upon natural causes is an argument undeniable of the divinity of it if it can be demonstrated that the said prophesies were uttered before the events and were not any supposititious or counterseit writings published since the events to delude the world which I shall undertake to clear by undoubted testimony for that such prophesies must needs be truly divine no man can deny according to that in Isaiah where God himself provokes the Idols of the Gentiles to stand to their cause and to declare things to come that thereby they may be known to be gods (a) Isa 41.23 Now the precedence of these predictions both in the Old Testament and in the New before their events I thus demonstrate First For the Old Testament I will omit those many predictions which were fulfilled within the time of its own durance and continuance as not demonstrative to meer reason that they were by divine inspiration and insist onely in the prophesies about our Saviour Christ's incarnation miracles and passion and the vocation of the Gentiles to the Christian faith which were fulfilled in the time of the Gospel which being proved to have been fulfilled a long time after their prediction by the Prophets is an undeniable demonstration that they were uttered by inspiration from God himself Now that they were fulfilled a long time after their prediction and that the Books of Moses the Psalms and the Prophets where these predictions are recorded were extant before the events we have many pregnant proofs from the testimony both of Jews and Gentiles and those such as lived in the very interval of tiem between the prophesies and their accomplishment Amongst which the most remakable and famous is the Septuagints Translation of the Old Testament into the Greek Tongue still extant which was done by the means and at the charges of Ptolomy Philadelph a King of Egypt as before hath bâ—en mentioned neer upon three hundred years before our Saviour Christ and there laid up in the King's Library The History whereof is set forth by one Aristaeus a learned Gentile then living and highly in favour with the said King and the book is still to be seen Which Aristaeus together with one Demetrius Phalereus Master of the said King's Library was an especial instrument for the procuring of the said Translation to be done by 72. Elders of the Jews out of every Tribe six Which was doubtlesse purposely brought to passe by God's all seeing and all-swaying providence to take away all suspicion of contriving the prophesies of Scripture after the events Another witnesse of this Translation is Philo Judaeus (a) Philo de vita Moysis lib. 3. who lived in our Saviour Christ's time as before hath been said And a third witnesse is Josephus in his forenamed History of the Antiquity of the (b) Josep Antiq. Jud. lib. 12. cap. 2. Jews So that from these Authors testimony besides a number more that I might produce it 's most apparent that the Old Testamâ—nt and so consequently the prophesies lapped up thâ—rein were extant in their time which was long before thâ—ir evâ—nt and therefore were not forged since Now for the predictions of the New Testament I shall make it most clear and evident that they also did precede their event so many of them as are fulfilled