SERMON XXIX. Sanctify them through thy
truth: thy word is truth.—John XVII. 17.
secondly, The church hath owned the
word. You see how God hath owned it; he saith it is my word. Let us see how the
church hath owned it Here I shall show three things:
1. What is the church's duty to the word.
2. What credit and value we ought to put on the
church's testimony.
3. How the church hath witnessed to the word in
all ages.
1. What is the church's duty? To keep the word,
and to transmit it pure to the next age, that nothing be added, nothing
diminished that it be published to the present age, and transmitted pure to
the-next: Rom. iii. 2, 'Unto them were committed the
oracles of God.' We are trustees: Jude 3, 'Earnestly
contending for the faith that was once delivered to the saints: 1 Tim. iii. 15, 'The church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the
truth.' The church is to hold it forth, as a pillar doth a proclamation,
that it may not be lost and extinguished. This is the jewel Christ hath left
his spouse, as the law was kept in the ark.
2. What respect we ought to
bear to the church's testimony? To hearken to it till we have
better evidence. We do not ultimately resolve our faith into the
church's authority, for the authority of the church is not absolute, but
ministerial; as a royal edict doth not receive credit by the officer and crier,
he only declareth it Yet the church's testimony is
not to be neglected; for 'faith cometh by hearing,' Rom. x. 14. It is a
preparative inducement: John iv. 42, 'Now we believe,
not because of thy saying, for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this
is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.' If
we would know the truth of a thing before we have experience, go to them that
have experience; the judgment of others, whom we respect .and reverence, causeth us to have a good opinion of a thing till we make
trial. The testimony of the church hath inclined us to [Pg. 451] think that the
scriptures are the word of God; not that the church can make and unmake
scripture when it pleaseth, as a messenger that carrieth letters from a king doth not give authority to
them.
3. How the church bath witnessed to the truth of
the scriptures in all ages? Partly by tradition, partly by
martyrdom.
[1.] By tradition. Holy books were indited one after another, according to the necessity of
times, and still the latter confirmed the former. Moses was confirmed by
Joshua, chap, xxiii 6, 'Be ye courageous to keep and to do all that is written
in the book of the law of Moses;' and Joshua and
others by succeeding prophets; and all were confirmed by Christ: Luke xxiv. 44,
'These are the words which I spake unto yon while I
was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the
law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms concerning me;' for the
New Testament, it was confirmed by all the succeeding ages of the church.
Christians different in other things yet agreed these to be the writings of the
apostles. So that we have a more general consent than we have about any other
matter probable in the world. Men of excellent parts and learning, that were
not apt to take matters on trust, all assent to scripture, as the public record
for the trial of doctrines. When heirs wrangle, they go to the last will and
testament
[2.] By martyrdom. The
patience and constancy of the martyrs, who nave ratified
this truth with the loss of their dearest concernments, yea, even of life
itself: Rev. xii. 11, 'They overcame by the blood of the Lamb, and the word of
their testimony, and they loved not their lives unto the death.' It is possible
that a man may suffer for a false religion, and sacrifice a stout body to a
stubborn mind; but because there is counterfeit coin, is there no true gold?
The devil's martyrs are neither so many for number, nor for temper and quality
so holy, so wise, so meek, as Christ's champions. The Christian religion can
show you persons of ail ages, young and old; of all sexes, men and women; of
all conditions of life, noble and of low degree; of all qualities, learned and
unlearned; persons that could not be suspected to be mopish
or melancholy, or tired out with the inconveniences of an evil world, but were
in a capacity to enjoy temporal things with the highest delight and sweetness,
and yet counted not their lives dear to them, to confirm the truth of this
word. What is dearer to men than life? And this not out of any desire of
vainglory, their death being accompanied with as many disgraceful as painful
circumstances; not out of any senseless stupidity, or fierceness of mind, they
being of a meek temper, and blamed for nothing else but their constancy in
asserting that truth which they professed; not out of any confidence in their
own strength, in bearing those horrible cruelties that were inflicted upon
them, bat humbly committing themselves to God, and imploring his strength, did deliberately
and voluntarily give up themselves to be cruelly butchered and tormented, as a
testimony of the power of this truth upon their hearts; some of them kissing
the stake, thanking the executioner, others wrestling a while with flesh and
blood and natural desires of life, yet, the love of the truth prevailing came
at length to encounter the horrors of a cruel death with a well-tempered
constancy and resolution; which certainly in so many [Pg. 452] thousands, even
to an incredible number, could not be without some divine power and force upon
their souls. That all this should be done by persons otherwise of a delicate,
tender sense, and a meek and flexible spirit! what
should move them to it but the power of the truth? This being a religion of
little reputation in the world, which the philosophers and disputers of that
age sought to batter down with arguments, the politicians with all manner of
discouragements, the orators with a flood of words, the tyrants with slaughters
and torments, the devil by all manner of crafts and subtleties. What had the
poor Christians before their eyes but prisons, and wild beasts, and gibbets,
and fires, and racks, and torturing engines more cruel than death? They had
flesh and blood as well as others, a nature that continually prompted them to
spare themselves as well as others; life was as dear to them, and their care of
their families and little ones as great, their respect to parents and friends
as much in them as any; yea, more, religion requiring natural affection in the
highest exercise, and en-tendering their hearts with a sense of their duty; yet
rather than give their bibles to be burnt, or be led away from their religion,
they could trample upon all. Certainly such an invincible constancy could not
be imputed to any rigid sullenness, or foolish obstinacy, or distempered
stiffness, but merely to the love of truth, which prevailed over all other
concernments. Let it shame us, that they could part with life, and all their
interests, for Christ and his truth, and we cannot part with our lusts; they
with their well-being, and we not with our ill-being. Could they suffer the
persecutors to destroy their bodies, and will not we suffer the fire of the
word to consume our lusts? Reason and conscience is calling upon us to quit these
things, and yet we hug them to our great prejudice; we to whom a little duty is
so irksome, a little pains in prayer so tedious, what would we do if the fires
were kindled about us, and we were every day to carry our life in our hands,
and could look for nothing but halters, and stakes, and instruments of
destruction? Surely our spirits are too silken and soft for such a religion, so
abstracted from ease and pleasure, and worldly interests.
Thirdly, The
malignant world hath owned it; the deadly hatred of the devil, and the constant
opposition of wicked men is a proof of it. The malignant world
know it, and therefore they hate and oppose it The reason of the
argument is because the heart of man is naturally averse to God: 1 Cor. ii. 14, 'The natural man receiyeth
not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him; neither
can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.' Now that which all wicked men do universally and constantly oppose
and malign, certainly that is of God. As Christ saith of his
own disciples, John xv. 19, 'If ye were of the world, the world would
love its own; but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of
the world, therefore the world hateth you,' So may we
reason: If the scriptures were of men, if devised by them, and suitable to
their lusts and humours, the men of the world would
receive them with a great deal of stillness, flesh and blood would love its
own. Bat carnal men have constantly and universally opposed the doctrine of
God, and always have been afflicting the church, and seeking to oppose the
people of God, because of their professing the truth. Mark it, before
Christianity [Pg. 453] began to be generally propagated in the world, the Jews
were the mark and butt of malice, whereat all nations did shoot their envenomed
arrows of malice and rage; and therefore it is very notable that the Romans,
though they conquered many nations, yet they never put down the idolatry of the
nations, as they put down the religion of the Jews, and sought to oppose that
and molested that; and when the Christians began to be discovered, then all
their malice was turned off from the Jews to Christians. Certainly it was not
merely because of the difference of worship, for they tolerated the Epicureans,
but took away all the worship of God; yea, they burnt the Christians, and made
them to be torches, to give light to
Secondly, I am now to prove the truth, or divine authority of the word by intrinsic
arguments, or such arguments as are taken from the scriptures themselves:
either
1. From the manner and form of these writings;
or else,
2. From the matter of them.
1. In the manner and form of these writings yon
may observe these things:
[1.] The majesty of the style. Look, as there
was a difference between Christ's teaching and the teaching of the pharisees: Mat. vii. 29, 'He taught them as one having
authority, and not as the scribes;' such a sovereign majesty is there in the
scriptures. They speak, not as conscious of any weakness, and so begging
assent, but as commanding it. 'Thus saith the Lord.' It is the great argument
in scripture: hear it, or you are lost for ever. Pray mark, it is not said,
'not as the prophets.' but 'not as the scribes;' they had nothing but what was
human out of the Jewish rabbis, but Christ speaketh
Tike an extraordinary messenger, as one that came to increase the canon and
rule of faith, with such an awe that the high priest's officers were afraid to
meddle with him: John vii. 45, 46, 'Why have ye not brought
him? The officers said, Never man spake like
this man,' with such an infallible spirit 'Ye have heard,' saith Christ, but' I
say;' and his great argument is, 'I say unto you;' Mat v. 21, 22, 'Ye have
heard that it hath been said of old time, Thou shall not kill, &c.; but I
say unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause,'
&c. So ver. 27, 28, 33,
34, 38, 39, 43, 44. There is such
a majesty breathing forth from one end of the
scriptures to another. Men can only beg assent, not command it by their own
authority; and therefore in all matters which they would enforce, they use
insinuation and argument; but the prophets say, 'Thus saith the Lord;' and
Christ who had original authority in the Church, 'I say unto you.' With what a
majestic contempt doth Christ scorn his oppoeers! 'He
that hath ears to hear, let him hear;' 'He that is filthy, let him be filthy
still.' God will not regard the loss of such, that do
not regard to understand and obey his word. Longinus,
a heathen, admired the majesty of Moses his writings, \~yenhyhtw\~
\~kai\~ \~egewrro\~, 'Let
it be done, and it was done;' the style of mighty princes and emperors.
[2.] The simplicity of the
style. Though it be full of majesty and authority, yet
the naked truth is represented in a plain manner, to the capacity of the
meanest: Ps. xix. 7, 'The law of the Lord is perfect,
[Pg. 454] converting the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise
the simple.' As there are deep mysteries which may exercise the greatest wits,
so in points necessary the scriptures are so plain and clear that they may be
understood by those of the dullest understanding. Such simplicity with such majesty
is a character of their divine original. They speak in such a manner as to feed
the greatest, and instruct the meanest; a child may wade, and an elephant may
swim. But this is not all I mean by simplicity, the plainness of the style, but
the native beauty of it Things are nakedly reported, but yet in an affective
manner, as if we had been actually present to see them done. Look to the
histories of the word, certainly they cannot be fictions, for fictions must
either be to delight the fancy, as poetry, or to win the assent for politic
ends. There is no such thing in the scriptures; not poetry, things are
delivered in a plain manner; not policy, to gain a repute to themselves; they
still seek to cast the honour upon God, as I shall
prove by and by, by the faithfulness of their relations. It is not imitable by
art, such a plain genuine relation. For mysteries, there were sophists in the
apostle's times. Nikil lam horrendum, quod non dicendo fiat probabile. The
fashion was to make absurd horrid things seem probable by the paint and
artifice of words, as to prove a gnat better than the sun, or a worm than a
man, by plausible arguments. But saith the apostle, 1 Cor. ii. 4, 'My speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in
demonstration of the Spirit and of power.' Nor in ostentation of parts, but in
simplicity and power; plain words have a mighty efficacy. Those sophists and
orators did only tickle the fancy; their aim was not to win assent.
[3.] The fidelity of their reports. The penmen
of the scripture report their own failings, which men will not do. If they must
write of themselves, they will be sure to write the best, and not the worst;
but these spared not their own faults. Men naturally labour
to cover their own faults, to hide them, to speak well of themselves;
especially they are careful not to leave an ill character of themselves to
posterity, nor of their party and faction. Now you shall see Moses spareth not to relate his own weaknesses and miscarriages,
his resistance of his call, Exod. iv.,
nor what a great deal of do God had to bring him into
[4.] Another quality to be
discerned in the manner and form of [Pg. 455] the scriptures is the harmony and
agreement that is to be found in them all along, notwithstanding the diversity
of times, places, and persons; still there is an increase of knowledge, and dispensations
rise higher and higher, as the light increaseth till
noonday, but there is no difference: Luke i. 70, 'As
he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which
have been since the world began.' One mouth, many prophets.
They lived in such distant ages, handled such diversity of arguments, yet all
conspired in promoting the same truth, which is now revealed to us in the New
Testament. There is a great difference of style; some speak with more loftiness
and majesty, others with greater familiarity and humility of expression, yet
all promoting the same thing. There is a difference in the manner of
prosecution, yet an exact harmony in the substance and essential quality of
their writings, not only in their general drift and scope, to set out the glory
of God and the good of mankind, but in the matter handled, without any spice of
secular vanity, as is to be seen in other writings; so the one and the same
spirit appeareth throughout the whole: 1 Cor. xii. 4, 'Now there are diversities of gifts, but the
same Spirit' Yea, there is not only a diversity of style, but a different
degree of light, according to the increase of God's dispensations; yet there is
a harmony. God's name and style, and the mystery of Christ, was made known to
the church by degrees; the solemn title and style of God was not one and the
same from the beginning of the world; but though they were diverse, yet they
were not one contrary to another, but one perfecting the other. He is called by
Melchisedek, 'The most high
God, possessor of heaven and earth.' Gen, xiv. 19.
Afterwards, by reason of his covenant with Abraham, \^yrvyla\^,
'God all-sufficient;' Gen. xvii. 1, 'I am the Almighty
God,' or the all-sufficient God; 'walk before me, and be thou perfect' Then when he was put to it, he made known himself by the
name of Jehovah: Exod. vi. 2, 3, 'And God spake unto Moses and said unto him, I am the Lord. And I
appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto. Jacob, by the name of God
Almighty, but by my name Jehovah was
I not known unto them.' And after the appropriation of the covenant to the
family of the patriarchs, he is called the 'God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of
Jacob;' Exod. iii. 15, 'The Lord God of your fathers,
the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto yon.
This is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.' Then,
upon experience of God's care of them, he is called, Exod
xx. 2, 'The Lord thy God, which hath brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out
of the house of bondage;' then 'the Lord, that brought his people out of the
north country:' Jer. xxiii. 7, 8, 'Therefore, behold,
the days come, saith the Lord, that they shall no more say, The Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel out of the
land of Egypt; but, The Lord liveth, which brought up
and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and
from all countries whither I had driven them, and they shall dwell in their own
land.' Then, when the Sun of righteousness was risen, 'the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ:' 1 Peter i. 3, 'Blessed be the God
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy,
hath begotten us again unto a lively hope,' Ac.; 2 Cor.
i. 3, 'Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ the [Pg. 456] Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;' Eph.
i. 3, 'Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, who hath blessed tie with all spiritual blessings in heavenly
places in Christ.' So for the mystery of redemption; first it was revealed to
Adam to he by 'the seed of the woman;' Gen. iii. 15,
'I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her
seed: it shall bruise thy head: and Thou shalt bruise
his heel;' then to Abraham, by 'thyseed:' Gen. xii 3. 'In thee shall all the families of the earth be
blessed;' which was repeated to Isaac to cut off Ishmael; then to Jacob to cut
off Esau. Then it was revealed out of what tribe he
should come, viz., out of
[5.] There is one character more in the form and
manner of these writings, and that is impartiality. Kings and subjects are
bound by the same laws, liable to the same punishments, encouraged by the same
promises. If the scriptures were only a politic device to keep subjects in awe,
there would be some exemption for potentates; but they are alike obnoxious to
God's judgment, and the same Tophet
that is provided for the peasant is provided for the prince: Isa. xxx. 33, 'For
Tophet is ordained of old, yea, for the king it is
prepared; he hath made it deep and large,' &c. Tophet
was a valley where the idolatrous Jews were wont to burn their children;
therefore, as a fit type of everlasting punishment, it is put for hell; it is
capacious enough to receive all, king and subject Now the scriptures, that
threaten potentates as well as others, must needs be a law that cometh from a
higher than the highest; who would presume else to threaten those in power?
Rev. xx. 12, 'And I saw the
dead, small and great, stand before God: and the books were opened; and another
book was opened, which was the book of life: and the dead were judged out of
those things which were written in the books, according to their works.' On
this side the grave there is a distinction between man and man, but all are
alike obnoxious to Christ's judgment, and all stand in dread of it There is
enough in the scriptures to astonish the heart of the mightiest potentate, and
make it tremble.
2. Now from the matter of the scriptures. I am
much prevented from what is published on James i. 18;
but let me speak something now. All that is spoken in the scripture may be
reduced to these five heads—Precepts, promises, doctrines, histories,
prophecies. Now all these proclaim it to be of God. I shall be brief in going
over this enumeration.
[1.] For the
precepts of the word: Ps. cxix. 96, 'I have seen an of all perfection, but thy commandments are exceeding
broad.' Here all matters of duty and morality are advanced to their highest
[Pg. 457] perfection. It is very broad, watching every thought, and the first
motions of the heart. No precepts are so holy, just, and good. The light of
nature seeth a necessity of holiness; there are some
fragments and remains of light in man's heart, that teach him what is good and
right; but these are much blurred: Rom. ii. 15, 'Which show \~ergon\~ \~nomou\~, the
work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness,
and their thoughts in the meanwhile accusing, or else excusing one another.'
Now the word is the second edition of God's will, wherein duties are better
known and set forth; not, only sins, but lusts are forbidden. Lust is adultery:
Mat. v. 28, 'Whosoever shall look on a woman to lust after her, hath committed
adultery with her already in his heart.' In worship and other duties, not only
the act, but the frame of the heart is regarded: Mat. xxii. 37, 'Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with
all thy soul, and with all thy mind.' Yea, there are
precepts that go against the bent and hair of nature; man's heart could never
have devised them, as to love our enemies: Mat. v. 44, 45, 'Love your enemies,
bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them
that despitefully use you, and persecute you; that ye may be the children of
your Father that is in heaven; for he maketh his sun
to rise upon the evil and the good, and sendeth rain
on the just and on the unjust.' To wean men from the world, that it is a sin to
walk as men: 1 Cor. iii. 3, 'For ye are yet carnal; for whereas there is among you envying, and strife,
and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? 'Christians are trained up
in a higher school. So to deny ourselves, a lesson proper to Christ's school:
Mat. xvi. 24, 'If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up
the cross and follow me.' To depend on God, renouncing our
sufficiency, &c.
[2.] The promises of the word, they hold forth the
highest happiness that man is capable of. Philosophy was to seek of a fit
reward and encouragement of virtue; the chief good is only revealed in the
scrip· tares. Men are at a puzzle and loss till they take this light along with
them: Ps. iv. 6, 'There are many that say, Who will show unto us any good?' There is a disposition and
instinct of nature towards happiness, yea, towards eternal happiness. All men
would be happy. Man's soul is a chaos of desires; like a sponge, it desireth to fill itself; it is thirsty, and seeketh to be satisfied. Austin speaketh
of a jester that at the next show would undertake to show every one what they
did desire; and when there was a great confluence and expectation, he told
them, Hoc omnes vultis, vili emere, et caro vendere. Another said, Ye all desire to be praised. But Austin saith rightly, these
were .but foolish answers, because many good men desire neither, the one being
against justice, and the other against sincerity; but, saith he, Si dixisset, omnes beati esse
vultis, he had said right: every one may find
this disposition in his own heart, to an eternal infinite happiness. This stock
was left in nature, on which grace hath grafted: Acts xvii. 26, 'That they may
seek the Lord, if happily they might feel after him and find him, though he be not far from every one of us.' They groped after God,
like the blind Sodomites about
[3.] The doctrines of the word, of sin, righteousness,
and judgment, they are all sublime: John xvi. 8, 'When the Spirit is come,
he will reprove (or convince) the world of sin, of righteousness, and of
judgment' Without a revelation from God they could not
enter into the heart of man; doctrines of sin, to humble the creature; of
righteousness, to raise him and comfort him; of judgment, to awe him unto
holiness. Of sin, as of the fall, the heathens knew nothing of this; they
complained of nature as a step-mother. Vitia
etiam sins magistro discuntur. Man cometh into the world crying, as into a
place of misery; the cause they could not tell. The scriptures show us how we
sinned in Adam. Our natures are evil, more susceptible of bad than of good,
never weary of sin, because this is most suitable to us. Then there are
doctrines of righteousness, and there indeed come in many mysteries, trinity of
persons, union of the two natures in Christ's person, a child born of a virgin;
but all these, though above nature, yet not against it. All religions aim at this,
to bring men to God; nature is sensible of a breach. There are vain offers
elsewhere to make up this breach, but the scriptures show the way; therefore
there is no reason to suspect the truth of them. It is above reason,
that showeth it to be of divine original; if
the creature had been put to study it, they could never have found it out; it exceedeth all human contrivance, and therefore maketh us wonder. And there are doctrines of judgment; take
it of judgment to come, resurrection, last judgment, it is not incredible;
reason showeth it may be: Acts xxvi. 8, 'Why should it be thought a thing
incredible with yon that God should raise the dead?' Justice must have a solemn
triumph. The heathen· dreamed of a severe day of accounts: Acts xxiv. 25, 'As
he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix
trembled;' Rom. i. 18, 'The wrath of God is revealed
from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men,- who hold the truth in unrighteousness.' There is a sad
presage of it in a guilty heart
[4.] The histories of the word. The scriptures
are a history of the creation of the world, which puzzled the philosophers;
some thought it was produced by chance, others that it was from eternity. Moses
with plainness, and yet with majesty, speaks of the original of all things, the
propagation of mankind, Ac. There is no such ancient historical monument; for
above the funerals of Troy, all is uncertain. And all the rest of the bible is
but a comment on Moses.
[5.] The prophecies of the
word; future contingencies are in it foretold many years before the event: Isa.
xli. 22,23, 'Let them show the former things, what they are, that we may
consider them, and know [Pg. 459] the latter end of them, or declare us things
for to come. Show the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that
ye are gods.' Gyms was mentioned by name a hundred
years before he was born: Isa. xlv. 1, 'Thus saith the Lord to his anointed, to
Cyrus, whose light hand I have holden.' The birth of
Josiah three hundred yean before it came to pass: 1 Kings xiii.
2, 'Behold, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name,'
&c. The building of
Use 1. It informeth
us how to settle the conscience in sore temptations. When we doubt of the truth
of the scriptures, take this course:
1. There must be some word and rule from God to
guide the creatures; how else shall he be served and worshipped? The inward
rule of reason is not enough, as appears by the sad experience of the heathens:
Rom. i. 21,22, 'Because that when they knew God,
they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their
imaginations, and their foolish hearts were darkened: professing themselves to
be wise, they became fools.' There must be some second edition of his will.
Reason will teach us that God is to be worshipped, and every man's heart will
tell him that he must not be worshipped as we will, but as he will; for the
servant must not prescribe to the master, but the master to the servant Now we have no rule of worship but in the scriptures. The Alcoran is a silly piece, fit for sots. As for revelation,
those that are ingenuous cannot speak of any such thing; and we see how men
split themselves upon that rock: all is proved lies at length.
2. There is far more reason to receive the
scriptures as the word of God than to suspect them. There is none more
credulous than the atheist; he offereth violence to
his own heart. The first temptation to it ariseth
from his lusts; he would not have them true; and then afterward he is hardened
and grown obstinate in his prejudices. If he would but hearken to the books of
Moses as to the story of an ordinary man, as of Henry the Eighth, there is
enough to make him tremble. Now there is no such history in the world, of such
a genuine native style, so free from weaknesses, so likely even to a common
eye; and if Moses be true, so is all the rest; the same vein runneth through all. Now the cause being
so weighty, the inducements so rational, why should we not believe it?
At least we may say, as of the blind man, 'If it be not he, it is like him,'
John ix. 9.
3. To what hath been alleged, add only this:
consider the matter and aim of the scriptures. The scriptures seek to establish
nothing but the worship and glory of the true God, the creator and governor of
the world; they discover the God of nature in a most worthy and glorious
manner. And for precepts: Deut iv. 8, 'What nation is [Pg. 460] there
so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous, as all this law, which
I have set before thee this day?' Where are there such precepts? where such promises? such a
manifestation of happiness? such purity? There have
been corruptions in the best things to which man ever put his hand, mixtures of
falsehood and folly; but here all is pure and divine. Where are there such
comforts for afflicted consciences? Jer. vi. 16, 'Stand ye in the ways and see, and ask for the old
paths, Where is the good way? and walk therein, and ye
shall find rest for your souls;' Mat xi. 28, 'Come
unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden, and ye shall find rest for your
souls.' Go and survey all the religions in the world, whatever pretence they be
of, see where you can find such rest for your souls, such provision for the
comfort and everlasting happiness of the creature, such rich encouragements for
afflicted consciences. That which all religions aim at is here only
accomplished.
4. Beg the light of the Spirit What will your arguings reprove?
David saith, Ps. xxxvi. 9, 'In thy light we shall see light.' We shall never else have any
certainty: 1 Cor. ii. 14, 'The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for
they are foolishness unto him, neither can he know them, because they are
spiritually discerned;' ver. 15, 'But he that is
spiritual judgeth all things.' The Spirit in the
heart discerns the Spirit in the scriptures, as the sun is seen by its own
light.
5. Till you have
certainty by the light of the Spirit, practise what
the scripture enjoins, upon these rational inducements: John vii. 17, 'If any
man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.' You will say, What is the meaning of this promise? before
doing the will of God, we must of necessity know it. ans. It is true, before you know it
certainly. There are degrees of knowledge; first we know the scriptures to be
the word of God by rational inducements, and some foregoing light of the
Spirit, as those that are bred in the church. They that would know, not to
wrangle but to practise, shall have new light, till
they grow up to a greater certainty. It concerneth
chiefly weak and doubting Christians. Do that yon may believe, believe that yon
may do. They that set their hearts to fear and obey him shall be clearly
resolved of the Christian faith.
Use 2. It teacheth
us these duties:
1. To make the word the judge of all
controversies. There God speaketh to us. A father
having many children, while he lives he governeth
them himself, and needeth no will and testament; but
a little before he dieth, that his children may not
fall out, he calleth witness, maketh
his will Voluntatem suam
de pectore morituro transfert in tabulas diu duraturas. If any
controversy happen, Non itur ad tumulum, sed quaeritur
testamentun, saith Optatns.
In this testament he speaketh his mind as if he were
alive. God taught by oracle. Christ, when bodily present taught his disciples
by word; but his will and testament is written: Isa. viii. 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.'
2. Make it your direction and constant rule of
faith and manners. All other rules are uncertain, the traditions and opinions
of men: [Pg. 461] Ps. cxix. 152, 'Concerning thy
testimonies, I have known of old that thou hast founded them for ever.' Among
men, \~ta\~ dikaia\~ \~kinoumena\~, saith Aristotle; what one age counteth
just and good, another counteth vain and frivolous,
but God hath given us a settled rule. Not providence; it is to be observed, but
it doth not always speak by way of approbation, nor point out the beet way. Not
impulse of spirit; this is to be regarded with other circumstances of a known duty:
Acts xvii. 16, 'His spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly
given to idolatry;' Acts xviii. 5, 'Paul was pressed in spirit, and testified
to the Jews that Jesus was Christ.' Not necessity; man never was necessitated
to sin. David's eating the shew-bread in necessity
does not prove it; for ceremonials must give place to moral duties. But now
observe the word, as if God himself spake from
heaven: Gen. iii. 3, 'God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye
die.' What the word saith, God saith: Ps. cxix. 105,
'Thy word is a light unto my feet, and a lamp unto my paths.'