force of which argument you had thought by a glosse and flourish to have evaded but all the cunning of man cannot doe it as in its due place will appeare But after you had once got your head into this fort and refuge you uttered many things very erroneous equalizing your traditions yea preferring them before the written Word accusing the Scripture of imperfection and denying them that due honour which is to be the rule of our faith and manners and the square by which we must order our lives affirming further more that they were accidentally written and not on purpose to be the rule of our doctrine and manners and that for the making of the Scripture a compleat and absolute rule the unwritten word received and entertained in all ages by tradition ought to be added to it which when the Church of England did not observe and admit of it did not believe as Christ ordained and as it ought to believe for the speculative and practicall parts of Divinity for to believe in Christ effectually and sufficiently to salvation as you said was not enough to believe both the natures of Jesus Christ and all his Offices but it consisted in this that we conforme our selves to a beliefe speculative and to a religion that is practicall for the Church was determined in these two points that is to say without the Church of England would imbrace and entertaine your traditions and believe your unwritten verities as they are commonly termed it could not be a true Church Hereupon I then undertooke to maintaine and prove first that the written Word in it selfe without any unwritten verities or traditions contained all things necessary to salvation Secondly that all Christians were tied to make that and that only the rule of their faith and manners which you said if I could prove you would be a Protestant and after some debate of these businesses and that Sir John Gotherick had said unto you magnifying your unwritten verities that if you could make it appeare that you had as good warrant for your traditions as we could shew for the Scriptures that then he would receive and imbrace them to whom you replyed that you could prove them by better authority than he could prove the Scriptures to be the Word of God But I perceiving at that time that you grew something weary and seeing withall for want of a moderator that things began something disorderly to be handled I told you that I would by writing reduce all those things that were then agitated and bring them into good order and set downe such other arguments as should sufficiently prove the Church of England to be a true Church and send you them all in writing which you not onely liked well of but earnestly also desired me so to doe and I promised likewise in the same writing evidently to prove that the Scriptures of the old and new Testament without any traditions contained all things in them necessary to salvation and that they are the onely rule and square which we are tied unto for the ordering of our faith lives and manners which is now my taske that in the following discourse I have taken upon me and I doubt not by Gods assistance but to make good and maintaine what I have undertaken But before I come to that that all men may see the Church of England faileth in nothing necessary to salvation either in respect of theory or practice although I have formerly proved it yet I thought fit briefly againe to runne over and to declare what she teaches for her beliefe speculative and her religion practicall that I may make use of some of your expressions and wherein she differs from the Church of Rome that the Church of Englands tenent being set downe on the one side and the errours and idolatry of the Church of Rome on the other all men may learne to love and imbrace the Church of England and to abhorre and abandon the Church of Rome that mother of abomination and that you Mr. Montague that have formerly undutifully deserted and forsaken her may with the Prodigall returne and yeild unto her your mother Christian and wonted duty and obedience Which I am confident will be more to your true comfort and honour than ever any thing done by you in all your life And now to begin I affirm for beliefe speculative and religion practicall it is orthodoxly and and clearely taught in the Church of England in all points and to begin with the speculative part Whatsoever I say is required of us to be knowne concerning God is perspicuously taught in the Church of England both in respect of the divine essence and nature of God as also of the persons in the blessed Trinity as likewise of their names and workes and of all their glorious attributes As that there is but one onely true God distinguished into the Father Sonne and holy Ghost the al-sufficient Jehovah Creator and governour of all things which onely living God the Church of England with an unanimous consent doth honour serve and worship in spirit and truth as he himselfe commands John 4. vers 24. and as he hath in all ages been worshipped by all the family of the faithfull that call upon his name in sincerity since the glorious ascension of Christ into Heaven and teaches the people so to worship him The Church of England doth fully likewise instruct the people in what a happy and blessed condition man was created being made after Gods owne Image and likenesse Genes 1. v. 27. and into what misery he afterwards plunged himselfe and all his posterity by reason of his transgression disobedience and infidelity in listning unto the suggestion of the diâ—â—ll as it is at large described in Genes chap. 3. And as it doth daily acquaint them with the nature of sinne the danger of it and the evill consequences that insue upon it as all manner of miseries here and eternall damnation hereafter if by timely repentance they breake not off the course of them which duty they daily exhort them unto In like manner it teacheth the people that next to the eternall love of God who in Christ Jesus made choice of them before the foundation of the world Ephes 1. v. 3 4 5. that they owe the whole worke of their redemption unto Jesus Christ alone who taking humane nature upon him was made sinne for us that knew no sinne that we might be made the righteousnesse of God in him 2 Cor. 5. vers 21. So that if we consider the whole summe of our salvation and all the parts of it they are contained and comprehended in Christ to whom alone all the honour glory and praise of all our blessednesse both present and future is to be ascribed and not any parcell of it to be attributed to any creature in Heaven or earth So that if any desires to be saved and to be eternally blessed the Church of England instructs them there is no other meanes to
Church under the old Testament so now under the new Testament he hath spake unto us sundry waies viz. by the writings of the Apostles by their Traditions not written and doth daily speak unto us by Ecclesiasticall Injunctions and Canons by Councels and Fathers and by the decrees of the Church all which how contrary they are to the meaning and doctrine of St. Paul every man can easily discerne Yea the very Papists themselves cannot deny it And thus much I thought fit to speak of the hypothesis or hypotheticall connexion of my argument Now for the Assumption it containes these three assertions The first that the Word of God necessary to the salvation of the Church was first delivered by the Prophets and afterwards by Christ and his Apostles which is manifest by the place alledged In time past God spake unto the Fathers by the Prophets but in these last daies he spake unto us by his Sonne Which is also to be extended unto the Apostles by whom Christ spake as is manifest out of the second chapter of this Epistle penned by the same Apostle vers 3. How shall we escape saith he if we neglect so great salvation which at the first began to be spoke by the Lord and was confirmed unto us that heard him And in the 20. of Saint John ver 21. As my Father sent me so I send you And Luke 10. ver 16. He that heareth you heareth me and he that despiseth you despiseth me c. Neither can you Mr. Montague or any deny but that the doctrine of the Gospell was penned and written by the Apostles The second assertion of my Assumption was this that the Word of God delivered by the Prophets is onely to be found in their writings And that is evident from the frequent use of speaking in the holy Scripture which by the Prophets understand the writings of the holy Prophets As in the Epistle to the Rom. chap. 1. v. 1 2. The Gospell of God promised by the Prophets in the holy Scriptures And Luke 16. They have Moses and the Prophets And John 6. vers 45. It is written in the Prophets And Acts 26. vers 27. King Agrippa believest thou the Prophets Luke 24. v. 27. And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets he expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himselfe and the same vers 44. And St. Peter in his second Epistle chap. 1. vers 19. By the word of Prophesie understands the writings of the Prophets as by the words following is evident For the Prophesie came not in old time by the will of man saith he but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the holy Ghost And many more places to this purpose might be produced which I omit the truth being so well knowne Neither can any Papist produce an instance or president to the contrary The third assertion in my Assumption is this that there can no reason be given by the Papists why the same should not be determined and ordered concerning the word of God delivered by Christ his Apostles that is concluded or determined concerning the Word of God delivered by the Prophets viz. That the whole Word of God as much as concerned the knowledge faith and salvation of the Church as much as was requisite for their good is delivered and set downe in the writings of the Apostles Therefore Mr. Montague when the Papists doe affirme that there is a dissimilitude in this part or matter till they can shew a reason and that a theologicall reason and grounded upon the Word of God they say nothing and the argument will for ever hold and the conclusion remaine unmoveable that all things necessary to salvation are to be found in the writings of the holy Prophets and Apostles and that we have no need of any Traditions for the making of the Scriptures a compleat rule as the Church of Rome doth impiously and malignantly conclude I confesse Master Montague that I have been very large in this theame but I formerly gave you a reason of it and if I yet say a little more to confirme the truth and for the farther convincing of errour and to undeceive the poore deluded people I hope you will excuse me I therefore shall adde a few more reasons and proofes for the confirmation of the al-sufficiency of the holy Scriptures and that they have no need of any humane Traditions for the making of them a compleat rule Saint Paul in the third of the Galatians vers 15. Brethren saith he I speake after the manner of men though it be but a mans covenant or testament yet if it be confirmed no man disanulleth or addeth thereto Out of which words I thus argue If the Scripture of the new Testament be a Covenant and it be not lawfull to adde unto a Covenant then it is not lawfull to adde any thing to the Scriptures of the new Testament But the antecedent is true ergo the consequent and by vertue of the consequent no Traditions not written by the Apostles nor no unwritten verities as you terme them are to be received or entertained by the Church of God as to be a rule of their faith to be joyned to the Scriptures The connexion is cleare The assumption hath two parts The first is manifest from the very inscription and hath no need of any other proofe The latter is proved out of the words of the Apostle when he saith it is not lawfull to adde no not to a mans covenant or testament and then this conclusion with farre greater reason will ensue and follow that it is much lesse lawfull to adde unto Gods owne Covenant and Testament And they that doe adde their traditions unto the holy Scriptures of the new Testament doe that which is unlawfull unjust and impious and bring that curse and plague upon themselves that is pronounced Revel 22. v. 18 19. If any man shall adde unto these things saith Christ God shall adde unto him the plagues that are written in this booke And if any man shall take away from the words of the booke of this prophesie God shall take away his part out of the booke of life and out of the holy City and from the things which are written in this booke That Mr. Montague that is spoke of this Prophesie is spoke of the whole Scriptures and therefore they that accuse the holy Scriptures of imperfection and adde their impious and vaine Traditions unto them are guilty both of addition and detraction to them and make themselves obnoxious to that fearefull curse but the Church of England dares neither adde or take from either the old or new Testament but acknowledge them both to be a most compleat rule and to containe all things in them necessary to the salvation of the Church and to have no need of unwritten verities But that I may farther confirme the truth and convince the erronious opinion of the Church of Rome I thus argue If the holy
made for us wisdome righteousnesse sanctification and redemption 1 Cor. 1. ver 3â— and who was made sinne for us who knew no sinne that we might be made the righteousnesse of God in him 2 Cor. 5.21 and therefore to be built upon the foundation of Peter is to believe in Jesus Christ and in him onely for salvation for there is no other name whereby we may be saved And that this is the true meaning of that metaphoricall expression may be evidenced by innumerable testimonies in holy Scripture but for the present these shall serve the following discourse will afford us more But this I thought fit to set downe because the termes of my syllogisme being cleared the ensuing discourse will be more intelligible And I now come to prove my minor which was that the Church of England was built upon the foundation of Peter Which you denied but by me is thus proved That Church which acknowledgeth Jesus Christ to be the Sonne of the eternall living God and believeth onely in him for salvation renouncing all merit wil-worship humane inventions in Gods service which continues stedfastly in the doctrine of the Apostles and Prophets and in the which Church the Gospell of Jesus Christ is purely preached repentance towards God and faith towards the Lord Jesus Christ and where the Sacraments are rightly administred and in the which there is the true invocation of God That Church is built upon the foundation of Peter and teacheth the way the truth and the life and is the pillar and ground of truth But the Church of England acknowledgeth Jesus Christ to be the Sonne of the eternall living God and believes onely in him for salvation renouncing all merit wil-worship humane inventions in Gods service and continues stedfastly in the doctrine of the Apostles and Prophets in which Church the Gospell of Jesus Christ is purely preached repentance towards God and faith towards the Lord Jesus Christ and where the Sacraments are rightly administred and in the which there is the true invocation of God Ergo the Church of England is built upon the foundation of Peter and teacheth the way the truth and the life against which the gates of hell can never prevaile and is a true Church the ground and pillar of truth To this syllogisme you first shewed your dislike in regard of the length of it though in very deed considering the waightinesse of the businesse in hand it being about the way to salvation and concerning the true Church which shewes the path to Heaven there cannot too much almost be said Secondly you affirmed that there was not any one portion of those many parts of it as you exprest your selfe that you could not except against And whereas I spake of merit and will-worship you affirmed if you should stand upon the doctrine of merit the application of it would demand a weeke but in fine you denied the minor asserting that we did not believe in Jesus Christ as we should and ought to believe that the Sacraments were not truely and rightly administred in the Church of England and then put me upon the proofe of my minor Which I shall by Gods gracious assistance evidently evince and make good with every part and portion of it notwithstanding whatsoever you denied then or shall hereafter be able to gainsay Using therefore the same liberty I did formerly I will first explaine and then confirme the severall parts of my syllogisme and shew not onely the necessity but the truth of every one of them and with so much the more care and diligence they being indeed the infallible notes and characters of a true Church and as I may rightly say the everlasting markes of the same never deceiving so that wheresoever they be found they are so many evidences and charters to confirme the Church to be a true Church where they are yea any one of them much more all together will abundantly testifie that Church to be the house of God the Church of the living God the ground and pillar of truth And that all these notes and marks are in the Church of England I shall Master Montague by Gods assistance as I said before elucidately prove so that all your evasions captions and exceptions with all your denials will speedily appeare to be groundlesse and of no validity for the enervating much lesse overthrowing of so solid and grounded a truth The parts therefore of my minor are these First That the Church of England doth acknowledge Jesus Christ to be the Sonne of the living God Secondly that it doth believe in this Jesus Christ as it ought to believe in that it doth renounce all merit will-worship and humane inventions in Gods service Which is the qualification and very effigies of true and saving faith and which is requisite in any Church to make it a true Church and without all which indeed it cannot be a true Church Thirdly That it continueth stedfastly in the doctrine of the Apostles and Prophets Fourthly and lastly that the Gospell is purely preached in the Church of England repentance towards God and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ and that the Sacraments are rightly there administred And that there is the true invocation of God in the Church of England These are the parts of my syllogisme which in order I will explaine and confirme and shew the verity of every one of them in the Church of England And although I should say no more after that yet it would suffice to shew the vanity of your exceptions and negation and confirme the full truth of my whole syllogisme Now to begin with the first viz. That the Church of England doth acknowledge Jesus Christ to be the Sonne of the eternall living God which is easily evinced in whatsoever signification the word acknowledge be taken Which manner of expression I rather made choice of than of any other as conceiving it subject to lesse exceptions among intelligible and ingenuous men For to acknowledge any thing is more than a bare knowledge it being a recognition the thing being not unknown to him before but now calling it to memory or it being brought to his hearing or sight upon deliberation with certainty he doth avouch his knowledge of it As when a man is charged with a Letter or any other thing and it be presented to his view and it be demanded of him whether he knowes the Letter or the thing presented to him or no or whether he will owne it He answers I acknowledge it that is he declares to all men and confesseth it to be his owne here is a knowledge with approbation So that take the word in whatsoever sense it is commonly used either for approving allowing confessing avouching owning in all this diversitie of expressions or if there be any other the Church of England doth acknowledge Jesus Christ of whom it hath often heard in the holy Word of God that he was the beloved Sonne of God in whom the Lord was well pleased and
the invocation of Saints and Angels and by this meanes robbed Christ and God of their honour and set up a false worship and persecute all those that Preach the Gospell and hinder men from the faith it necessarily followeth that the Church of Rome is not the true Church the ground and pillar of Truth but the foundation of all error and abomination and by that meanes have made themselves liable to the curse S. Paul in the first Chapter to the Galatians denounceth against all such as Preach otherwise than hee hath taught and that curse also he pronounces against Bar-Jesus the Sorcerer in the 13 of the Act. who withstood Paul and Barnabas seeking to turne away the Deputy from the faith vers 9. To whom Paul filled with the Holy Ghost said O full of all subtilty and all mischiefe thou child of the Devill thou enemy of all righteousnesse wilt thou not cease to pervert the wayes of the Lord So that you see Mr. Montague by Pauls owne words those that hinder the Preaching of the Gospell pervert the wayes of God and for so doing are by the holy Apostle proclaimed children of the Devill and enemies of all Righteousnesse And in the first of Thess ch 2. Heare what the Apostle there speakes of the Jewes and consider diligently whether that which he there declareth doth not belong unto the Church of Rome his words are these vers 23. Who both killed the Lord Jesus and their own Prophets and have persecuted us and they please not God and are contrary to all men forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved to fill up their sinnes alwayes for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost Those that persecute the true Ministers of the Gospell and all true believers under the name of Hereticks and Schismaticks and hinder and forbid the peaching of the Gospel they neither please God and are contrary to all men and fill up their sinnes alwayes for the wrath of God is come upon them to the uttermost and therefore they are not the Church of God but enemies to him and contrary to all men and all this the Church of Rome dayly practiseth but the Church of England when it doth not pervert the wayes of the Lord and hinders not nor forbids the Preaching of the Gospell but sincerely and purely preacheth it that all men may be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth and prompteth and furthereth the preaching of it all it can possibly and rightly administreth the sacraments and in the which there is the true invocation of God it is manifest that it is a true Church the ground and pillar of Truth and where salvation may be had And thus much Mr. Montague I thought fit to speake of all the severall parts of that Syllogisme which you excepted against and I am most assured that whosoever shall seriously weigh the things handled in it will thinke nothing superfluous in all I have sayd and with all will find every parcell of it so confirmed and corroborated as it will give him good satisfaction and illucidate that every Branch of that argument is true But because Mr. Montague after your exception you denyed the whole minor in a bulke all together I will now make that good also in the grosse And that the order of our disputation may the better be observed which by reason of this large discourse hath beene something obscured and interrupted I will briefly repeate the sum of the argument and what you denied in it and so goe on The argument was this That Church that teacheth the Way the Truth and the Life against which the gates of Hell can never prevaile is a true Church the ground and pillar of Truth But the Church of England teacheth the Way the Truth and the Life Ergo. Here you deny the Minor which I thus prove That Church which is built upon the foundation of Peter teacheth the Way the Truth and the Life c. But the Church of England is built upon the foundation of Peter Ergo. Here also you denyed the Minor which I thus proved That Church which acknowledgeth Jesus Christ to be the Sonne of the Eternall living God and believeth onely in Him for salvation renouncing all merit will-worship bumane inventions in Gods Service and continues stedfastly in the Doctrine of the Prophets and Apostles and in the which the Gospell is purely Preached repentance towards God faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ and the Sacraments are rightly administred and in the which there is the true invocation of God that Church is built upon the foundation of Peter and teaches the Way the Truth and the Life and is a true Church the ground and pillar of Truth But the Church of England doth acknowledge Jesus Christ to be the Sonne of the Eternall living God and believes onely on Him for salvation renouncing all Merits Will-worship Humane inventions in Gods Service and continues stedfastly in the Doctrine of the Prophets and Apostles and in the which the Gospell is purely Preached Repentance towards God and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ and the Sacraments are rightly administred and in the which also there is the true invocation of God Ergo It is built upon the foundation of Peter c. This Minor you also peremptorely denied which I then proved wil now by Gods assistance make good and answer to all your evasions in order and then prove the Scripture to containe all things necessary to salvation and to be the only rule of our faith and manners That Church which acknowledgeth both the natures of Iesus Christ and all his Offices and so believes in him as he is qualified and made knowne in the Gospell renouncing all merits and will-worship and relies onely upon Christ for salvation and observes all the other requisites specified in my Minor that Church is built upon the foundation of Peter and believes as it ought to believe But the Church of England doth acknowledge both the natures of Jesus Christ and all his Offices and so believes in him as he is qualified and made knowne in the Gospell renouncing all Merits Will-worship and relies onely upon Christ for salvation and observes all the other requisites specified in my Minor Ergo The Church of England is built upon the foundation of Peter and believes as it ought to believe and is a true Church the ground and pillar of Truth c. They Mr. Montague that were standers by admired you should deny such apparent truths as you then did in your answers to my former Syllogismes the verity of the which as they said was so evident and well known to very children But they much more wondred to heare your expressions in this your last answer to my last Syllogisme And to speake the truth Master Montague and no way to wrong you your answer was not onely very confused but exceedingly erroneous in all respects to speake no more I say it was confused not onely
and all the other Pen-men of the Sacred writ and dictated unto them what they should write and all for the establishing of the people more and more in the Truth and that they might not be carried about with every winde of Doctrine Eph. 4. v. 14. And therefore it doth of necessity follow that the Word of God was not accidentally written or by the will of man but by Gods appointment and by his holy Spirit and of set purpose And this shall suffice to have spoken of my second Argument My third Argument is this That of which there was a necessity of writing for the common salvation and for the encouragement of all Christians earnestly to contend for the faith which was once delivered to the Saints that was not penned accidentally and occasionally by the peculiar motion and will of man but by the inspiration and moving of the Holy Ghost and of set purpose But the sacred Scriptures were written of necessity for the common salvation and for the animating and encouragement of all Christians earnestly to contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the Saints Ergo they were not accidentally and occasionally penned and by the peculiar instigation of man but by the inspiration and moving of the Holy Ghost and of set purpose And for proofe of this see what Saint Jude saith ver 3. Beloved saith he when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation it was needfull for me to write unto you and exhort you that you should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the Saints And Saint John in his first Epistle chap. 2. v. 21. I have not written saith he unto you because ye know not the truth but because ye know it c. and in the 14 15 16. vers Let that therefore abide in you saith he which ye have heard from the beginning if that which ye have heard from the beginning remaine in you ye shall also continue in the Sonne and in the Father And that is the promise that he hath promised even eternall life These things have I writ unto you concerning them that seduce you Here the Apostle Saint John writes unto knowing and understanding Christians and sets before their eyes the examples of some that were fallen away and gone from them to the end to make them more watchfull and diligent in taking heed unto themselves that they be not led away by the errour of the world but saith he they were not of us for then they would have continued with us but they went out that they might be made manifest that they were not of us And withall he forewarnes them of false Teachers and gives them rules of direction in writing and directs them to all sorts of people fathers young men and very little children to the end they should all read them and have them continually by them and observe them diligently if they would be preserved from all errours according to that of St. Paul 1 Cor. 10. vers 12. Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall and that they might not fall away from the truth he exhorts them in the place above cited to abide in the truth which they had heard from the beginning that was in the faith once delivered unto the Saints and for their comfort he assureth them if that truth they have heard from the beginning shall remaine in them they shall also continue in the Sonne and in the Father that is they shall have eternall life and not onely be freed here from all the errours of the times and of Antichrist but be everlastingly blessed as the expresse words declare and therefore he tieth them all to the written Word which was of purpose penned by the inspiration of the holy Ghost and by the appointment of God and his peculiar motion and not accidentally and by the will of man and for this very end that they might not by vaine Traditions and erroneous opinions of any Antichrists be seduced and fall away as others had done And thus much shall serve to have spoke for the confirmation of my third Argument The fourth and last followeth That which God himselfe writ with his owne hand and that which was penned by speciall command from himselfe for the salvation and edification of the whole Church that was not accidentally and occasionally written and by the peculiar motion of the Pen-men or by the will of man but by the speciall appointment of God and by the inspiration of his holy Spirit and of set purpose but the holy Scriptures were all of them either written by God himselfe and with his owne hand or by his speciall command and appointment and by the inspiration of his holy Spirit and of set purpose for the salvation and edification of the whole Church Ergo they were not accidentally or occasionally written and by the peculiar motion of the Pen-men or by the will of man For proofe of all which let us see what the holy Scripture saith of these things Exod. 31. ver 18. Thus when the Lord had made an end of communing with Moses upon Mount Sinai he gave him two Tables of the Testimony Tables of Stone written with the finger of God And chap. 32. v. 16. Deut. 9. v. 10. The Lord had spoke all these words out of the Mount and there fully declared his will unto them with thunderings and lightnings as is at large described in Exod. 20. yet such was his infinite mercy and love to his people and so gracious he was towards them and so desirous that they might not forget this Law and by that fall into errour and faile in their duty of thankfulnesse and obedience to him in their duty of love and charity towards their brethren as he recorded it and writ it with his owne hand that they might have a more venerable esteeme of it and that not in Paper or Parchment but in more durable materials in two Tables of Stone distinctly and orderly set downe to teach them that it was a perpetuall Law ever binding and to continue to the end of the world And when the Tables were by Moses out of zeale broke the Lord againe of his unspeakeable goodnesse commanded others to be made and he wrote on the Tables according unto the first writing the ten Commandements c. Deut. 10. v. 1 2 3 4. Now that which was written by God himselfe for the salvation of his people and for the preserving of them from all errour that was writ of set purpose and not accidentally and occasionally and by the peculiar motion of man as all men that have not abjured their reason will easily perceive But that is not all Mr. Montague that is to be taken notice of here but we are to consider likewise that what the Lord writ in the two Tables was sufficient to the salvation of his people if we had had no more written so that none could have complained that God
to walke in for the attaining unto eternall happinesse they are the rule that all men are to be guided by and therefore he proclaimeth him blessed that delighteth in the Law of the Lord and doth meditate in it night and day Psal 1. Solomon likewise in Prov. 3. v. 1 2 3. and in Prov. 6. v. 20 21 22 23. and in many other places sendeth his sonne and all the people to the Law of the Lord for the rule of their lives and manners saying My sonne keepe thy fathers commandement and forsake not the law of thy mother Bind them continually upon thine heart and tie them about thy necke when thou goest it shall lead thee and when thou sleepest it shall keepe thee and when thou awakest it shall talke with thee For the Commandement is a Lampe and the Law is light and reproofes of instruction are the way of life And in Eccles 12. v. 13. Let us heare saith he the conclusion of the whole matter Feare God and keepe his Commandements for this is the whole duty of man By all which places it appeareth that the holy Prophets made the written Word of God and that onely the rule of their lives and manners and commanded all people to have ever recourse unto that and that onely for the square to order their lives by And the Prophet Isaiah in the 8. v. 20. To the Law and to the Testimony saith he if they spake not according to this word it is because there is no light in them There was no other rule Mr. Montague knowen to the Prophets for the directing of the people how to serve God and to which they were tied but the Law and Testimonies the written Word and if under the Law they were ever to have recourse unto the Scripture and nothing in matter of faith was to be received which was not contained in the Scripture it was then a perfect rule and the onely rule by which they were to be guided and much more now Mr. Montague ought we to content our selves with the Word of God and to make that the onely rule of our faith and manners and of all our doctrines when the doctrine of the Gospell also written by the Apostles and Evangelists is joyned unto the Law the which hath also fully explained the meaning of all those hidden mysteries and shadowes and brought us into the cleare sunshine of all truths and hath indeed taught us the way the truth and the life The Prophet Jeremiah also in the 6 chap. vers 16. Thus saith the Lord Stand yee in the wayes and see and aske for the old pathes where is the good way and walke therein and yee shall finde rest unto your soules Here the Prophet sends them to the Law and the Testimony that old way and tells them the benefit that will accrue unto them by following his counsell viz. That by it they shall finde rest unto their soules And the Prophet Malachi 4. vers 4. Remember yee saith he the Law of Moses my servant which I commanded him in Horeb for all Jsrael with the statutes and judgments The Law of Moses and the Prophets was the rule Mr. Montague that all Israel was tied unto as that which was an absolute and perfect rule of direction from which they were bound not to swarve and which had no neede of any Traditions for the compleating of it much more now is it a perfect rule when the Gospell is annexed to it and therefore all Christians ought to make the old and new Testament the sole rule of their faith and manners and by all these precepts they are commanded and many more to cleave onely unto it But now Master Montague let us see what precepts and directions wee finde layd downe unto us in the New Testament that by the mouth of both these Witnesses the Truth of God may yet more fully be confirmed In Matthew 17. vers 51. And behold a voyce out of the clouds which said This is my beloved Sonne in whom I am well pleased heare you him And Acts 3. vers 22 23. For Moses truly said unto the Fathers A Prophet shall the Lord your God raise unto you of your brethren like unto mee him shall ye heare in all things whatsoever hee shall say unto you and it shall come to passe that every soule that will not heare that Prophet shall be destroyed from the people Here are two things Mr. Montague observable first a command viz. that we should heare Christ that Prophet the Lord our God should raise up Secondly the danger that would insue if we heard him not viz. destruction for that is pronounced against those that do not heare him Now let us take notice how he teacheth us John 5. vers 39. Search the Scriptures saith he Here our great Prophet Mr. Montague sendeth us onely to the Scriptures he makes them the onely rule which wee are to follow And in Luke 16. in the person of Abraham hee sendeth all men to Moses and the Prophets vers 29. they have Moses and the Prophets saith he let them heare them This Mr. Montague was the old way to salvation where men might finde rest for their soules Moses and the Prophets and thither doth Christ the onely Prophet of his Church send all men to the holy Scriptures and to the Doctrines contained in them as the absolute and compleat rule that all the Christians are for ever tied to and out of the Scriptures and them onely did Christ confirme all his preaching as is evident out of Luke 24. and many other places averring that the people erred not knowing the Scriptures Mat. 22. The Apostles likewise in all their Sermons and Writings did the same and inoyned all Christians to cleave unto the holy Scriptures and to make them onely the rule of their faith and manners as by the places following do most cleerly appeare Paul in the 16 of the Rom. v. 17.18 Now I beseech you brethren saith he marke them which cause division and offences contrary unto the doctrine yee have received and avoyd them for they that are such serve not our Lord Iesus Christ but their owne belly and by good words and faire speeches deceive the hearts of the simple Here the holy Apostle ties the Romans unto the doctrine they had received and which he writ unto them and forbids them to have any communication with any members of that Church that should teach contrary unto that Doctrine they had received for they that are such saith he serve not our Lord Jesus Christ All therefore Mr. Montague that teach any Doctrine contrary unto the written word swarve from the truth and are not by the Apostles command to be communicated with and therefore the written Word must be the onely rule of our direction And in the 4 of the 1 of Cor. vers 6. Hee commands them not to be wise above that that is written tying them ever to the doctrine that is set down in the written Word and in that