Imatges de pàgina
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Doct.

Reaf.1.

Lerinenfis, do all confeffe what we teach of the sufficiency of
Scripture, as the learned Deane of Glocefter, Dr. Field 1. 3. de
Ecclef, c. 7. hath fairly cited them.

And Dr. White in his way of the Church, addeth Tho. Aquinas, Antoninus Arch-bishop of Florence, Durandus Alliaco a Ĉardinal, Conradus Clingius.

Perefius Divinity Reader at Barcilena in Spain, and Cardi nal Bellarmine: Of whom Poffevinus writeth, that he is one of the two that have won the Garland. De verbo Dei l.1. c. 2.

Sacra Scriptura regule credendi certiffima & tutiffima est: Per corporales literas quas cerneremus & legeremus, erudire nos voluit Deus.

Writing against Swenck field and the Libertines; this is a legal witneffe. Pro Orthodoxo heretici teftimonium valeat.

I know to whom I fpeak, and therefore I forbear the Polemi cal bands of arguments to and fro upon this question, which in print and in English is fo fully and learnedly debated.

Our leffon is, feeing Gods care of his Church, for the instru Яtion thereof is here expreft, in commanding his revealed will to be written, that

God would have his Church to be taught his ways all the ages thereof.

1. Becaufe the ways of God, and the faving Health of God cannot be parted; none can have the faving heata of God without the knowledge of his ways, no ignorant man can be faved: it is faid of Christ,

Ifa. 53. 11. By his knowledge fball my righteous ferant justifie many, per fcientiam,qua fcitur.

Reaf. 2.

Therefore Davids Prayer is, That thy way may be kuown upon earth, thy faving health among allnations.....

2. Because the promife of God doth run in femine, in the seed; I will be thy God, and the God of thy feed. Our children are the Lords inheritance: his care extendeth fo farre,

Deut.5.33 That yee may live, and that it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days. But that is not all

Verf. 29. That it may be well with them and their children for ever.

Reaf. 3.

3. For his own fake,that his Wifdome, Power and Iuftice may beknown to men, that they may be able to plead the caufe of

God

God against fuch as either ignorantly through unbelief, or maliciously and blafphemously fhill difpute and argue against God, for therefore God doth condefcend to this Apology of himself, that he may inftru&t his Church how to plead the cause of his Iuftice against all strife of tongues, that the name of God be not evil-spoken of.

To make profit of this point.

1. Herein let us confider what the Lord hath done for our fouls; for he hath given us two means to communicate to us his holy will, hearing and reading; and he hath ufed to this purpofe both the voice and the pen of holy men; for he fpake by the mouth of all the holy Prophets fince the world began, and holy men wrote as his spirit directed them,

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Let him that hath ears to heare, beare quid Spiritus, and feek vee Pl. 34.16. out the book of the Lord and read: but then adde this caution; Mat.24. Who fo readeth let him understand. It was Philips question,fed in- 15 ́ telligis quod legis?

Seeing God hath written to us, and the whole body of holy Use 2. Scripture may well be called Gods Epistle or Letter to his Church, let us beftow the reading of Gods letter.St. Augustine faith,

Que de illa Civitate unde peregrinamur venerunt nobis litera,. ipfa funt Scripturæ.

It was St. Gregories complaint of Theodorus, that he was so o ver-bufied with fecular cares,

Et quotidie legere negligit verba redemptoris fui;quid eft autem Scriptura facra,nifi quadam epistola Omnipotentis dei, ad venturam fuam.

It is a queftion in our times whether printing hath done more hurt or good, for Sacan finding this a means to keep things alive in the world, hath employed the Preffe in all forts of herefres, in all forts of idle and lafcivious, falfe and dicterious, flanderous and biafphemous books.

The remedy is to refrain fuch readings, and as Dr. Reynold tels Hart his adverfary, that he hath no book allowed him to read but the Bible.

It is likely then that he is perfect in that book, and that Phyfitians do well when they find their Patient furfeited with too X 2

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In Pf.90.2

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PL. 56.4.

Pf. 119. 50.

much variety of meat: to confine him to fome one wholefome dyet.

So fhall we do well to limit our felves to the reading of Gods letter, and know his mind; for he is wifeft, and the wifedome that we shall gather from thence is wifedome from above, it is able to make us wife unto falvation, as the Apoftle faith.

3. Seeing God teacheth us by Scripture, we must learne to carry a reverent opinion of Gods written Word, and to esteem it as Gods great love to his Church, and as the means ordained by him to bring us all to him. Therefore David faith in one Pfalme,

In God will I praise his Word, verf. to. twice. He had reafon for it: For thy word hath quickened me.

This word is now written; and whatsoever things are written, they are written for our learning, that we through patience and Rom. 15.4 comfort of the Scriptures, might have hope.

It was Chrifts fhield by which he bore off the firy darts of Sa25 tan difcharged against him in the wilderneffe, Scriptum eft, it is written; they that know not the Scriptures know not the Power of God: this is a fure word, because it is upon record from the Spirit of God, the charter of our heavenly inheritance.

Doct.

Reaf, 1.

2. It must be written plain, fo that not only he that comes of purpofe may read it, but even he that comes along by it may read it as he goes.

When we come to examine this writing, we fhall finde it to contain the summe and abridgment of the whole Bible, and all that is written may be referred to it.

From this no man may be excluded,none forbidden to read it, it must be set forth to publike view,& put into the common eye. This fheweth as that are the Minifters of the Word what our work is, to write the Word of God in a faire and legible hand, in great characters, that is, to open to the Church of God the whole counsel of God.

1. Because this is the Lanthorne to mens feet, and faith com eth by hearing and understanding this; and this is the office of our miniftry; none can be faved but by our Miniftry; for this we have the great title of Saviours given us in holyScripture.

And seeing the Apostle faith, God would have all men to be [α

ved, and come to the knowledge of his truth; that is, faved by coming to that knowledge: we must be faithful, we must hide none of this light from men.

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Chrift gave a full Commiffion to his Apostles, go ye into all the world, preach ye to every creature. Saint Paul faith, woe is me if I preach not

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2. Because there is a natural blindneffe in man, and the god of this world by outward temptations, & our own inward cotruptions do caft fo thick a mift of darkneffe before our understandings, that the natural man doth not well difcerne thofe things which are of God, therefore as decaied fight is helped by a faire and great letter; fo by our eafie and familiar handling of the holy Scriptures, we must labour to help the weak understandings of the ignorant.

Reaf. 2.

3. We must confider the true end why God gave his word, Reas.3. both spoken and written in Scriptures.

The word was given to profit with all, for fo faith God; as the If. 55, 106. raine cometh down, and the (now from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth, and. bud,&c.

So fhall my word be that goeth forth from my mouth, it shall not Verf. II. returne unto me void.

It doth no good on ftony ground, where it is not received in, nor where it is kept off from falling upon any ground.

It must be our care to fee that the feed be good, and fit for the ground where it is fown, that it may come up again in fruit.

And because fome have weak eyes, we muft write very plaine characters; and because fome have runing and gadding wits, we muft write fo as they that run may read.

This teacheth the minifter to have a special regard of his audience that they may profit by his miniftry; for we are Embaffadours from God to man, let us deliver our meffage fo as man may know what the good and perfect will of God is.

Words thus spoken do more good as the Apostle faith in the Church then 100 fpoken in ftrange tongues.

Saint Bernard faith, that it is better apta then alta fapere. Chrift our Mafter that fet us awork,and whole so we are,told

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hi's Disciples Multa habeo vobis dicere,fed nunc non poteftis porta- lob, 16. r >

Ezech. 47 re, I have many things to fay, but you cannot bear them now. It 3, 4. &c. must be our difcretion to let our preachings run like the waters in Ezekiel, which were at firft going into them up to the ancles, then to the knees,then they rofe up to the loynes,then they grew fit only for good fwimmers.

Gen. 43.

33.

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Ifa.48.17.

And it must be your discretion that are hearers of our preachings, to remember your own measure, and Chrifts rule, qui poteft capere capiat; let no man per be over-wife, nor exercise himself in things too high for him; let not fuch as be meer wadersadventure to fwim in deeps, but content themselves in chofe fholes where they may have fure footing, till God the giver of wildome do reveale more to them.

They preach most profitably to a mixt auditory confifting off feveral fcantings of understanding, who ferve them all as Jofephs brethren were ferved in Pharaohs house,

The eldest according to his age, and the youngest according to his youth.

That the weakest understanding may gain fome light, the weak understanding may gain more light; the good understanding may better it felf, and the best may not think the time loft. To make rough things plaine, and to write in a full hand and a legible character.

This is Gods own manner of teaching, as he faith, 1 am the Lord thy God, which teacbeth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by 1 Cor. 7. the way that thon shouldeft go. And Saint Paul faith, This I speak unto you for your own profit.

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2. Seeing God would have his word fo fair written, that he that runneth might read, we are taught the power and efficacie of the word plainly delivered; they that run and have fomething elfe to do and think on, yet cannot escape the power of this word, they fhall read this writing although it be in tranfitu, in paffing by.

Belshazzar was a runner, for being amongst his cups, and drinking in the veffels of Gods houfe among his Princes and Concubines, and praifing his own Idol gods, he faw an handwriting upon the wall, it was fo fairly written, that he could not but read it; and it was fo full of terror, that though he had all Dan, s. 6 the means to move delight before him, yet The King's counte

nance,

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