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B21327
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A sermon preached at the anniversary meeting of the sons of clergy-men in the church of S. Mary le Bow on Thursday, Decemb. 2, 1686 by Henry Dove.
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Dove, Henry, 1640-1695.
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1686
(1686)
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Wing D2051
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15,981
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40
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contained in the Epistles or Acts of the Apostles then let us observe it as a divine and holy Tradition And elsewhere having reckoned up the Canonical Books These are they says he that make up the Rule from whence we draw all the assertions of our Faith. Hieronymus The Church of Christ possesses In Mich. c. 1. Assemblies in all the World being joyn'd by the Unity of the Spirit and hath Cities founded on the Law and the Prophets the Gospel and the Apostles She departs not out of her own bounds that is from the Scriptures but retains her first possession The time will not permit me to quote every Father nor all of each I shall onely adde the words of St. Augustine disputing with Maximinus and those of Optatus against the Donatists because they are near akin and highly useful to put an end to this and all other Controversies Neither ought I to alledge S. Aug. contra Maximin l. 3j c. 14. now the Council of Nice nor thou that of Ariminum as prejudging the question on either side for neither am I bound to the authority of the one nor thou of the other let us both contest with authorities of Scriptures which are Witnesses common to us both Optat. You say 't is lawful we Optat. l. 5. contra Parmen say 't is not and between both the people are in suspence let them not believe either for perhaps we are both contentious but let us be tryed by Judges If they be Christians both sides will not afford such viz. such as are impartial if they be Heathens they are altogether ignorant if they be Jews they are utter Enemies Seeing therefore we can find no competent Judges on Earth we must have recourse to Heaven But alass what can we expect from Heaven while we have the last Will and Testament of our Saviour in the Gospel He compares the Scriptures to the Will of a Testatour if any Controversie arise among the Kindred after his death and one affirms this another that they don't run to his Grave but peruse the Writings and so learn his mind as though he were still among them Our Saviour therefore who is now in Heaven foreseeing strifes after his death hath left us his Will in the lasting Tables of the Gospel And surely these are sufficient to teach us his mind these alone must decide all our differences that concern Faith or Manners From hence alone we derive whatever we believe with our hearts or confess with our mouths as of necessity to salvation because by these we shall be judged at the last day For God says St. Paul shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my Gospel Rom. 2. 16. These thingswe teach and exhort as the sure ground of our Faith and Practice and venture our Souls upon them And if any man teach otherwise for I doubt not to apply the words of St. Paul again 1 Tim. 6. 3. c. and consent not to wholsome words even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ and to the Doctrine which is according â—o Godliness he is proud he knows nothing he doats They are not mine but the words of the Apostle with many more as severe as these And from such saith he to Timothy his own Son in the Faith withdraw thy self v. 5. Whatever any man would alledge or obtrude upon you which is not consonant to the wholsome words of Christ and his Apostles which make up the whole Doctrine according to Godliness reject and disclaim it as alien from the Faith for unless ye can have new Scriptures ye can never have new Articles of your Faith. To these alone we appeal as the immoveable Rule of our Doctrines and if any doubt arise in the interpretation of them we refer our selves gladly to the first and purest Antiquity To Christ alone as the great Author and Finisher of our Faith to the Apostles and Evangelists as the first Preachers and Publishers to the Primitive Fathers and Councils as the best Helpers and Interpreters Let no man therefore deceive you with vain words nor beat you off from this hold and fortress whatever is necessary to eternal life is fully contained in the holy Scriptures whatever is not there can never be a part of the Christian Faith. I conclude this point with the words and appeal of the Prophet which is back'd with an excellent reason Isai 8. 20. To the Law and to the Testimony if they speak not according to this word it is because there is no light in them III. I should now proceed in the third place to observe the emphasis and force of the Particle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Faith was delivered to the Saints and that but once Which little word is of great weight and carries with it sufficient matter to conclude and determine those that seek it and to settle and secure those that hold it But that which I chiefly designe since the time forbids me to enlarge upon it is the Immutability of this Faith which is the proper importance of the word Once That which Christ received of his Father he communicated to his Apostles so he testifies himself when he prayed for them Joh. 17. 8. I have given them the words which thou gavest me and they have received them The same that they received of Christ they delivered to the Saints So St. Peter declares 2 Pet. 1. 16. We have not followed cunningly devised Fables when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ but were eye-witnesses of his Majesty Nay St. Paul speaks of his Gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ as one and the same thing Rom. 16. 25. which he there interprets once for all to be The Revelation of the Mystery which was kept secret since the World began but now is made manifest and by the Scriptures of the Prophets according to the commandment of the everlasting God mark that again I pray made known to all Nations for the obedience of Faith. Here then we are sure of the whole immutable counsel of God for the Faith and Obedience of all Nations which the succeeding Church is to preach and receive as from the beginning not to enlarge or shorten not to alter or corrupt by any mixtures or additions of their own devising For though when Christ founded his Church he made that indeed capable of a continual addition even till the full period of his coming again to Judgment yet the foundation of Faith upon which he built it is like himself the same yesterday and to day and for ever it stands as a Rock firm and unalterable never to be changed by Man or Angel. For though We says St. Paul Gal. 1. 8. or an Angel from Heaven preach any other Gospel unto you that that which we have preached unto you let him be accursed A dreadful sentence at first hearing but that we may not take it for a sudden transport we have the same result from
And this is evident 1. from the following word in the Text 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Faith delivered for as for the Act or Habit of Faith it is either produced by the ordinary means of hearing or else supernaturally infus'd by the Spirit of God but that which is properly delivered is the Doctrine it self either by word of mouth or by writing And 2. from many parallel places of Scripture as Acts 13. 8. Where Elymas the Sorcerer sought to turn away the Deputy from the Faith who is afterwards said v. 12. to be astonished at the Doctrine of the Lord and Acts 14. 22. When St. Paul and Barnabas had preached the Gospel to several Cities they confirmed the Souls of the Disciples and exhorted them to continue in the Faith nay St. Paul tells us of himself Gal. 1. 23. That he preached the Faith which once he destroyed and prophesies also of others That in the latter times some shall depart from the Faith 1 Tim. 4. 1. By all which we are to understand the Doctrine of Faith that Faith which God revealed by his Son which Christ made known to his Apostles and the Apostles preached to the World at the promulgation of which the Angels rejoyced and the Devils trembled to see Man so wonderfully redeemed and themselves irrecoverably left in everlasting chains which was propagated by Signes and Wonders and so demonstrated by Miracles that men were easily induced to believe the Word of God in their mouths while they saw the Power of God in every Apostles hand by the energy of which the Cripples were cured the Dead were raised and some at first were deprived of life That Faith which all the Prophets foretold which the Evangelists pen'd and the Church receiv'd That Faith which in one day by the first Pentecost-Sermon converted Acts 2. 41 about 3000 Souls and hath crowned many Millions in succeeding Ages with eternal Glory In a word That Faith which hath saved all the Saints that are already in Heaven and must bring all the rest that are ordained to come thither Which leads me in the next place II. To consider the manner of its conveyance and the persons that received it The Faith delivered to the Saints I put these two together because they will help to explain each other And here if we would take in the whole we contend for we must go back to the beginning not onely to the Book of the Generation of Jesus Christ but even to the Epoche of time it self and may trace it down briefly in this succeeding course When God had created man for his own service that is his glory he was pleased to reveal his will to him because what was hid from him could never be the instance of his duty and hence to the Law of Nature which he printed on his mind he added a positive command to try the integrity of his obedience and this was the first Revelation made to Adam in innocence whereby he was enjoin'd to believe and to obey his Maker But alas we all know what Adam did and feel the sad efects of his transgression unto this day wherefore in the succeeding Ages he spake unto the Fathers at sundry times and in divers manners Heb. 1. sometimes by an audible Voice and sometimes by secret Illapses by Dreams and by Visions by the Ministry of Men and by the Message of Angels And when the fulness of time was come he spake unto us once for all by his onely begotten Son who being from all eternity in the bosom of the Father was able to know and undertaking this errand of his infinite compassion and his own accord was willing to impart whatever was necessary for us to receive In order to which he took our Nature upon him conversed among us unfolding the Mystery which was before kept secret and so became the Author of this Faith. And as his Mercy was great in his Advent so he shew'd his Wisdom in the choice of the Persons to whom he delivered this Will for he did not propound it at all adventures and expose it to the uncertain Multitude or commit it to the hands of the prejudiced Rabbies not unto the Rich and Noble or the Wise and Learned of the Age but unto a selected company of illiterate Galileans twelve men of mean quality and from an obscure corner without the advantages of Birth or Breeding that by the weakness of the Instruments and the improbability of the means the Power of God might appear stronger These were they despised indeed by men but highly favoured of God and chosen by Christ to be Witnesses of all that he began both to do and teach and suffer Who being always à latere to their Lord and Master and enjoying the access of Favourites and the freedom of Friends had the evidence of their outward Senses to confirm the inward perswasion of their Minds whereby they were as infallibly assured that he knew all things and that he came forth from God as that they heard him speak or saw him work a Miracle And thus St. John the familiar Disciple testifieth of himself and the rest of the Apostles 1 Ep. 1. 1. That which was from the beginning which we have heard which we have seen with our eyes which we have looked upon and our hands have handled of the word of life that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you And as they were Witnesses of all his Divine Speeches and mighty Works and bitter Sufferings and above all of his glorious Resurrection Act. 1. 22. from the dead even of all that had passed from the Baptism of John until the day of his Assumption so after his Ascension he confirmed their Minds and increased their Faith and emboldened their Faces by the punctual performance of the Promise he made them on Earth in sending the Spirit from Heaven That good Spirit that enlightened their Understandings furnished their Memories and guided them into all Truth that inspired them with the gift of Tongues and of Prophecy endued them with a power of working Miracles also in some respects greater than those he had wrought himself and brought all things fresh to their remembrance whatsoever they had seen or heard before or were now to publish By which they were fully instructed and animated and perfectly enabled to discharge their trust maugre all the opposition that malice or rage or wit or power could make against them for by one short Sermon as I said which you read in the second of the Acts they augmented the former number of 120 with the addition of about 3000 Souls and by the next recorded in the third of near 5000 more so mightily grew the Word Act. 4. 4. of God and prevailed and Believers were the more added to the Lord multitudes both of men and women Act. 5. 14. These were the Persons to whom the Faith was at first delivered and these the means of its first conveyance That which Christ received of his