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<DATE>2014-01-21</DATE>
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<NAME>Olivia Bottum</NAME>
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<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>THE PRINCIPLE <HI>OF</HI> ALL PRINCIPLES Concerning RELIGION. <HI>OR</HI> THE SVMME OF certaine SERMONS: <HI>Prooving</HI> The Scriptures to be the very VVord OF GOD.</P>
<Q><BIBL><HI>Ioh. 5.39.</HI></BIBL>
<P>Search the Scriptures; For in them yee thinke to haue eternall life.</P></Q>
<P><HI>LONDON</HI> Printed by <HI>I. D.</HI> for <HI>Nicholas Bourne,</HI> At the South entrance of the <HI>Royall Exchange.</HI> 162<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"></P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="dedication">
<PB REF="2">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>TO THE WORSHIPFVL, M^r HVMPHREY BROVVNE, Increa&s;e of Grace, and <HI>the &s;aving knowledge</HI> of <HI>Ie&s;us Christ.</HI></HEAD>
<P>_AMong&s;t other Doctrines here|tofore gathered from my Text, <HI>viz Act.</HI> 24.14.15.16. We learned, that, <HI>Wee are to ground our Faith onely vpon the Word written.</HI> Which Doctrine aro&s;e out of this Ob&s;ervation, That <HI>Paul</HI> doth not &s;ay, He beleeved
<PB REF="3">all things what&s;oever as direc|tions of his wor&s;hipping the God of his Fathers; but Belee|ving all things written in the Law, &amp; the Prophets, &s;o wor|&s;hip I, &amp;c. This point is wor|thy due con&s;ideration, in the&s;e prevaricating times, wherein <HI>Papi&s;ts</HI> doe &s;o fearefully decline the <HI>Word written,</HI> and runne vnto <HI>Traditions,</HI> which they call <HI>Vn|written Verities;</HI> though indeede <HI>Traditionall very lyes;</HI> they runne (I &s;ay) vnto the&s;e, as vnto the rocke of their refuge. For if they could, but in &s;hew, iu&s;ti|fie their Antichri&s;tian Idolatry, and Super&s;titions by the <HI>Word written,</HI> how boa&s;ting they would then be, may appeare
<PB REF="3">by their catching at &s;yllables thereof, which &s;ound, in phan|ta&s;ticall eares, to &s;ome of their purpo&s;es. So that Chri&s;t his cen&s;ure vpon the <HI>Scribes</HI> and <HI>Phari&s;es,</HI> may be iu&s;tly layd vp|on them, <HI>viz: Yee haue made the Word</HI>
<NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg">Mat. 15.1.6.</NOTE> <HI>written of none authoritie by your Traditions:</HI> But who&s;oever &s;peaketh not according to this Word, it is becau&s;e there is no light in them
<NOTE N="b" PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 8.20.</NOTE>. For the whole Scripture that is, The Word written) is given by In&s;pira|tion of God, and is profitable to teach, to convince, to cor|rect, and to in&s;truct in righte|ou&s;ne&s;&s;e, that the man of God may be ab&s;olute, being made perfect vnto all good works
<NOTE N="c" PLACE="marg">2 Tim. 3.15.16.17.</NOTE>.</P>
<PB REF="4">
<P> Among&s;t other V&s;es of the &s;ayd Doctrine, this was one, If we are to ground our faith only vpon the Word written, then all, who are wi&s;e vnto Salvation, mu&s;t diligently read the &s;ame; or, If they cannot reade, diligently heare them read in publique Congregati|ons, &amp; els-where, as they may. For to what ende was the Word of God committed to Writing; but that Gods people &s;hould reade, or heare it read diligently? Therefore let vs re|ligiou&s;ly take to heart, and con|&s;ider the wi&s;e exhortation of our Ma&s;ter Chri&s;t, <HI>viz: Search the Scriptures, For in them yee thinke to haue eternall life</HI>
<NOTE N="d" PLACE="marg">Ioh. 5.39.</NOTE>. Wherein ob|&s;erue,
<PB REF="4">that He calleth the word of God <HI>Scriptures,</HI> that is, <HI>Writings,</HI> and not onely &s;o, but <HI>The Scrip|tures,</HI> that is, Writings incom|parably excelling all other. For (indeed) they are given by in&s;piration of God. There|fore we are to &s;earch them. Which word <HI>Search,</HI> implieth Diligence. As where we are exhorted
<NOTE N="e" PLACE="marg">Pro. 2.3.<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE> <HI>to Search for the Know|leage of God as for Trea&s;ures.</HI> But how are Writings &s;earched o|therwi&s;e, than by diligent rea|ding? Thus did the Nobly-minded <HI>Baereans</HI>
<NOTE N="f" PLACE="marg">Acts. 17.1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE> <HI>Search the Scrip|tures daily.</HI> So that Chri&s;t his ex|hortation is this in effect. If ye thinke (indeed) to haue eternall life in the Scriptures, then
<PB REF="5">&s;hew your &s;elues wi&s;e vnto &s;alvation by your diligence in reading, or hearing them read. This point requireth much pre&s;&s;ing in the&s;e times, where|in too many are like tho&s;e, whom <HI>I&s;aiah</HI> taxeth.
<NOTE N="g" PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 29.10.</NOTE> VVho, being covered with a &s;pirit of &s;lumber, dreame of ea|ting, but when they are a|wake their &s;oules are emp|tie; Yet when a Booke is of|fered them to be read, they refu&s;e, &s;aying either <HI>The Booke is Sealed,</HI> as doe the Papi&s;ts; or, <HI>They cannot Reade,</HI> as doe thou&s;ands of irreligious people, who&s;e carele&s;ne&s;&s;e to heare the Scriptures read, (di&s;covered by their late com|ming
<PB REF="5">to the Church, where the Scriptures be read, and their readine&s;&s;e to heare the reading of vaine Bookes and Ball<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">des) doth manife&s;t their want of religious zeale, to &s;upply their di&s;ability to reade the Scriptures, by diligence in giuing attendance to the reading thereof. But there may come a time of tryall, when the Deafe &s;hall heare the words of the Booke, as <HI>ISAIAH</HI> Prophecieth in the &s;ame Chapter.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;. 17.1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE> VVhich Prophecie implieth, that he, who &s;ayd, He could not reade, &s;hould (yet) haue &s;ignified de&s;ire to heare the Booke read. To prevent
<PB REF="6">which tryall (if it may &s;o plea&s;e our mo&s;t gracious God) let's imitate, yea, emulate the reli|gious <HI>Iewes,</HI>
<NOTE N="h" PLACE="marg">Acts. 13.14.15. And 15.21.</NOTE> who &s;o diligently heard the olde Te&s;tament read in their Synagogues every Sab|bath day, that Chri&s;t, and his Apo&s;tles &s;aw it not nece&s;&s;ary to quote Chapter, and Ver&s;e, when they preached, or wrote. And why? Becau&s;e, by diligent hearing the Scriptures read, their memory was &s;o confir|med, that they could pre&s;ently acknowledge every allegation to be conteined in the Scrip|tures. To which ende, <HI>viz:</HI> the confirmation of memory by reading, was the Word of God written; Yea &s;o, That the chil|dren
<PB REF="6">of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> were commanded
<NOTE N="i" PLACE="marg">Deut. 11.19.18.</NOTE> as well to write Gods words vpon the po&s;ts of their hou&s;es, and vpon their gates, as to be &s;peaking of them, when they &s;it, walke, &amp;c. that they might lay them vp in their hearts. The&s;e things I now write, that thereby I may &s;tirre you, and others vp, by reading, to renew, and confirme your memory, that it may, vnto your farther edification, reflect vpon this ground of Religio~. The Scrip|tures be the very Word of <HI>God.</HI> VVhich (indeed) is, <HI>The Princi|ple of all Principles concerning Religi|on,</HI> and therefore is (as it ought to be) e&s;teemed accordingly of all that doe the Truth
<NOTE N="k" PLACE="marg">Ioh. 3.2<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> Deut. 17.19</NOTE>, that is,
<PB REF="7">Obey God in Sinceritie, &s;o as they come to the light thereof, that their deeds may be made manife&s;t, that they be wrought according to God. Therefore not onely <HI>David</HI> a King, and an olde man, profe&s;&s;ed
<NOTE N="l" PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">al. 37.25.<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">9.105.9.</NOTE> Gods <HI>Word</HI> to haue beene a <HI>Light to his paths,</HI> but the Spirit al&s;o, by way of a Que&s;tion, doth, with a &s;trong a&s;&s;everation, affirme, <HI>That young men</HI> (if they feare God) <HI>mu&s;t re|dre&s;&s;e their wayes in taking heede to them according to Gods Word.</HI> To which our mo&s;t holy God, and to the Word of his grace,
<NOTE N="m" PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ct 20.32.</NOTE> <HI>which is able to build further, and to giue you an inheritance amongst all them which are &s;anctified,</HI> I heartily commend you.</P>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<PB N="1" REF="7">
<HEAD>THE PRINCIPLE <HI>OF</HI> ALL PRINCIPLES concerning Religion.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL><HI>Act. 24.14.15.16.</HI></BIBL>
<P N="14"><HI>14.</HI> But this I confe&s;&s;e vnto thee, that af|ter the way which they call here&s;ie, &s;o wor&s;hip I the God of my Fathers, be|leeving all things which are written in the Law and the Prophets.</P>
<P N="15"><HI>15.</HI> And haue hope towards God, which they them&s;elues al&s;o allow, that there &s;hall be a re&s;urrection of the dead, both of the iu&s;t, and vniu&s;t.</P>
<P N="16"><HI>16.</HI> And herein doe I exerci&s;e my &s;elfe, to haue alwayes a Con&s;cience voyde of offence towards God, and toward men.</P></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>_IN the&s;e three Ver&s;es may be ob&s;erved 4. grounds of Religion, whereof e|very one is prooved by the other three, and is of that power|full
<PB N="2" REF="8">truth, that if it be beleeved in|deed, it per&s;wadeth the beleever to make con&s;cience of &s;inne, therefore all are worthy of due con&s;ideration, <HI>Viz.</HI> (1.) <HI>There is a God (by name, The God of Abraham, I&s;aac, and Iacob) to be wor&s;hipped.</HI> (2.) <HI>There is a Word of God</HI> (Viz. <HI>The Bible, that is, the Booke of Bookes, con&s;i&s;ting of the olde, and new Te&s;tament) to be beleeved.</HI> (3.) <HI>There is a Re&s;urrection both of iu&s;t, and vniu&s;t to be expected. And</HI> (4.) <HI>There is a Con&s;ci|ence to be tendered.</HI> The fir&s;t ground hath beene layd as &s;urely as I can. For none can be religious, who doth not beleeue it. The &s;econd is like|wi&s;e to be &s;urely layd. For if there be no &s;uch Word, there can be no true religion, but &s;uper&s;tition. The <HI>Sama|ritans</HI>
<NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word">. 4.20.22.</NOTE> and <HI>Athenians</HI>
<NOTE N="b" PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word">. 17.22.23.</NOTE> were &s;uper&s;ti|tious, becau&s;e they wor&s;hipped God not according to his Word. That therefore we may haue true &s;pirituall comfort in our Chri&s;tian Religion, in which we wor&s;hip God, let vs be
<PB N="3" REF="8">well per&s;waded, that the Bible is the Word of God. That impo&s;ter <HI>Maho|met,</HI> to make the Turkes &s;uper&s;titi|ou&s;ly to regard his <HI>Alchoran,</HI> Compi|led by him&s;elfe, a <HI>Iew,</HI> and a <HI>Ne&s;torian</HI> heretique, &s;o plotted with his Com|plices, that having tolde the Turkes that God would &s;end his vndoubted Word about a Camels necke out of the Wilderne&s;&s;e, before the Sermon was ended, a Camell came into the Church with the <HI>Alchoran</HI> about the necke. Were not the Bible the vn|doubted Word of God, we Chri&s;tians are the mo&s;t ab&s;urd in our Religion of all other. For we make him a God, and our onely Saviour, whom we ac|knowledge to haue beene a man, and crucified. But if it be, then may wee, with comfort, avow our Religion, again&s;t <HI>Iewes, Turkes,</HI> and <HI>Papi&s;ts.</HI></P>
<P>That we may be well grounded in this point, I haue determined to proue it not onely by the other three grounds, but al&s;o by imitating an or|der
<PB N="4" REF="9">of proofes which Chri&s;t ob&s;er|veth, <HI>Ioh.</HI> 5.31. to 39. With which I will begin as being mo&s;t worthy in regard of the Author, and as &s;hewing, that the Bible, which is the Word written, may be prooved to be the Word of God, by like Arguments as Chri&s;t prooveth him&s;elfe to be the <HI>E|ternall Word</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">oh. 1.1.14.</NOTE> <HI>made fle&s;h,</HI> that is, the <HI>Me&s;siah.</HI> Which he prooveth by 4. te&s;timonies. 1. Of <HI>Iohn Bapti&s;t.</HI> 2. Of his owne Workes. 3. Of his Father; And 4. Of the Scriptures. <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> In imitati|tion therefore, let our fir&s;t proofe be, The Te&s;timony of the Church, which, throughout all ages, hath a|vowed the Bible to be the vndoubted Word of God. Now all true Chri&s;ti|ans reioyce in the Church, as the <HI>Iewes</HI> did in <HI>Iohn Bapti&s;t.</HI> For it is <HI>The Pillar of truth</HI>
<NOTE N="d" PLACE="marg">Tim. 3.15.</NOTE>. Not becau&s;e the Church &s;upporteth the Scriptures, &s;o as to be the Word of God, as <HI>Pa|pists</HI> would make vs to beleeue. Nay, The Scriptures &s;upport the Church,
<PB N="5" REF="9">&s;o as to be the Church of God. In|deed, if there be no other v&s;e of a Pil|lar but to &s;upport, then that place of 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 3.15. might &s;eeme to make for the <HI>Papi&s;ts:</HI> but there is another v&s;e of a Pillar, <HI>viz.</HI> To haue that written, or engraven therevpon, which is to be remembred for ever. As in <HI>Rev.</HI> 3.12.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Revel. 3.12.</NOTE> Chri&s;t &s;ayth, <HI>Him that overco~meth, I will make a Pillar in the Temple of my God.</HI> How? <HI>I will write vpon him the Name of my God, and my new Name.</HI> Indeed, The true &s;en&s;e of that to <HI>Ti|mothie</HI> is this; As a Pillar doth pre|ferue the memory of tho&s;e things which are written thereon; So the Church pre&s;erveth Truth commen|ded therevnto. This &s;en&s;e the place it &s;elfe doth intimate; For (&s;aith <HI>Paul</HI>) The&s;e things I write, that, if I tarry long, thou may&s;t know how to be|haue thy &s;elfe in the hou&s;e of God, that it being the Church of the living God (therefore ever-living) may, as a Pillar, pre&s;erue Truth which it lear|neth
<PB N="6" REF="10">of thee. Hence it is that <HI>Au&s;t in</HI> &s;ayth,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ntra Epi&s;t. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">md. cap.</HI> 5.</NOTE> <HI>I had not beleeved the Scriptures to haue beene the Word, had I not beene mooued with the Churches credite.</HI> Thus was he mooved indeed, when he fir&s;t turned from his Manichi&s;me: But when he was &s;etled in Religion, thus he writeth to <HI>Maximinus.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Contra Maxim. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ib.</HI> 3. <HI>cap.</HI> 14.</NOTE> <HI>Neither mu&s;t I alledge the Councell of</HI> Nice <HI>in preiudice of the matter, nor you the Councell of</HI> Ariminum, <HI>Let matter &s;triue with matter, cau&s;e with cau&s;e, rea|&s;on with rea&s;on, by authoritie of the Scriptures.</HI> And in another place. <HI>Reade this out of a Prophet,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>De Pa&s;tor. cap.</HI> 14.</NOTE> <HI>out of a P&s;alme, out of the Law, out of the Go&s;pel, out of an Apo&s;tle; Thence recite I the Church di&s;per&s;t over the whole world;</HI> and our Lord &s;aying. <HI>My &s;heepe heare my voyce.</HI> So that <HI>Au&s;tin</HI> did like the <HI>Samaritans,</HI> who, at the fir&s;t, beleeved Chri&s;t to be the <HI>Me&s;siah</HI> for the &s;aying of the Woman, but afterward, they profe&s;&s;ed.
<NOTE N="e" PLACE="marg">Ioh. 4.39.42.</NOTE> <HI>Now wee beleeue, not be|cau&s;e of thy &s;aying; For wee haue heard him our &s;elues.</HI></P>
<PB N="7" REF="10">
<P><MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on."> Now then let vs proceede to the &s;econd Te&s;timony from the proper workes of the Scriptures, which is greater then the former, as was the &s;econd Te&s;timony, which Chri&s;t pleaded. I will now take knowledge but of two proper works of the Scrip+tures. The former is; Though they be, for the mo&s;t part, very &s;imple, &amp; plaine, yet (like God) they be migh|ty in operation. For the word of God &s;imply preached is the power of God
<NOTE N="f" PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 12.9. 1 Cor. 3.4.<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE>. It being like fire, and an ham|mer,
<NOTE N="g" PLACE="marg">Ier. 23.29.22.</NOTE> converteth the &s;oule,
<NOTE N="h" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 19.7.</NOTE> being not carnall, ca&s;teth downe imagina|tions exalted, and bringeth every thought to the obedience of Chri&s;t
<NOTE N="i" PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 10.4.<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE>. For it is the &s;word of the Spirit
<NOTE N="k" PLACE="marg">Eph. 6.17.</NOTE>; be|cau&s;e the Spirit of God, being au|thour thereof
<NOTE N="l" PLACE="marg">Pet. 1.21.</NOTE> by it worketh migh|tily vpon the &s;pirit of man. <HI>Heb.</HI> 4.12. For it accompanieth the &s;ame, <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 59.21. &s;o as a man is compelled to ac|knowledg the power of Gods word, when it is faithfully preached, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 4.<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.</P>
<PB N="8" REF="11">
<P> The other is, They prophecy ma|ny great things, which are accom|pli&s;hed in due time. As the bondage of <HI>I&s;raell</HI> in <HI>Egypt, Ezod.</HI> 12.41. Cap|tivity in <HI>Babilon, Ier.</HI> 29.10. The &s;uc|ce&s;&s;ion of foure <HI>Monarches, Dan.</HI> 2.37. to 40. Comming of the <HI>Me&s;siah, Dan</HI> 9.24.25.26. Calling of the <HI>Gen|tiles, I&s;a.</HI> 2.2.3. And revealing of <HI>An|tichri&s;t,</HI> 2 <HI>The&s;&s;.</HI> 2.7.8. that is, the Pope revealed after the removall of the Emperour from <HI>Rome.</HI> So that, as God was acknowledged &s;o to be, becau&s;e he, by <HI>Daniel,</HI> opened &s;ecrets
<NOTE N="m" PLACE="marg">Dan. 2.47.</NOTE> and a Prophet is to be acknowled|ged &s;o to be, if his Prophecy come to pa&s;&s;e
<NOTE N="n" PLACE="marg">De<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">t. 18.18. &amp;c.</NOTE>, I may conclude, that, becau&s;e &s;o many, and great Prophecies in the Scriptures are duly fulfilled, they are therfore the vndoubted word of God</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> Our third Te&s;timony is fro~ the <HI>Fa|ther</HI> that is God, <HI>Gal.</HI> 1. I who hath gi|ven te&s;timony to the &s;criptures, <HI>viva voce,</HI> &amp; by his wonderfull works. He gaue te&s;timony <HI>viva voce</HI> to the old Te&s;tament, when he gaue the Deca|logue
<NOTE N="o" PLACE="marg">Deut. 5.2<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE>.
<PB N="9" REF="11">Whereof the Prophets, and the re&s;t of the Scriptures are explana|tions, &s;o that as Law, and Prophets is here <HI>(per Synchdochen)</HI> put for the whole old Te&s;tament, &s;o el&s;e wher is Prophets onely
<NOTE N="p" PLACE="marg">Acts. 26.27. Ephc. 2.20.</NOTE>. So that, as the whole lumpe, and branches be holy, if the fir&s;t fruites, &amp; roote be holy
<NOTE N="q" PLACE="marg">Rom. 11.16.</NOTE>: So the te&s;timony given <HI>viva voce</HI> to the Decalogue, is an authorizing of the whole olde Te&s;tament, God like|wi&s;e <HI>viva voce</HI> gaue Te&s;timony to the new Te&s;tament, when, by a voyce out of a cloud
<NOTE N="r" PLACE="marg">Mat. 17.<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE>, he &s;ayd <HI>This is my be|loved Sonne, in whom I am well plea&s;ed, heare him.</HI> Wherein &s;hould we heare him? To wit, In the Go&s;pell, which is <HI>The word of Reconciliation</HI>
<NOTE N="&s;" PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 5.19.</NOTE> by for|giuene&s;&s;e of our &s;innes, and is there|fore worthily called <HI>The word of Chri&s;t</HI>
<NOTE N="t" PLACE="marg">Colo&s;. 3.16.</NOTE>, Which reconciliation is in|timated in the&s;e words. <HI>In whom I am well plea&s;ed.</HI> This word of Chri&s;t is contayned in the new Te&s;tament; Therefore, by this voyce, te&s;timonie
<PB N="10" REF="12">is thereunto given. This inference is co~firmed by the Apo&s;tle <HI>Peter</HI>
<NOTE N="u" PLACE="marg">2 Pet. 1.16.17.</NOTE>. Who by this voyce, proveth, that the A|po&s;tles followed not deceiveable fa|bles, but opened the power, &amp; com|ming of Chri&s;t. God al&s;o gaue te&s;ti|mony therunto by wonderful works. For) if Antiquity may be beleeved
<NOTE N="x" PLACE="marg"><HI>Iren. lib.</HI> 3 <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ap</HI> 25.</NOTE>) He confirmed the old Te&s;tament by this miracle. <HI>Ptolomy</HI> King of <HI>Egypt,</HI> hearing the books of the Iewes high|ly exalted, &s;et 70. learned Iewes in &s;o many places, &s;o as they could not conferre, to tran&s;late tho&s;e bookes out of Hebrew into Greeke. When they had done, the 70. tran&s;lations &s;o agreed word for word, as if all had conferred, &amp; agreed vpon one tran&s;|lation. The number of the bookes being thirtie nine, The puacitie, and ambiguity of Hebrew wordes, and experience of diver&s;ity in tran&s;lating farre more intelligible languages, co~|&s;idered, this is a great miracle. Tou|ching the new Te&s;tament, the Text
<PB N="11" REF="12">&s;ayth plainly that
<NOTE N="y" PLACE="marg">Mark 16.2<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE> the Apo&s;tles prea+ched every where; And the Lord co~|firmed the word with &s;ignes that fol|lowed: therefore God gaue te&s;timo|nie to the new Te&s;tament by won|derfull workes. Here Papi&s;ts may be an&s;wered, who require vs to &s;hew by what miracles, we confirme our new Go&s;pell, I an&s;were; Indeede, if the Go&s;pell, which we preach, were new, as they (like Iewes
<NOTE N="z" PLACE="marg">Mark 1.27.</NOTE>) doe terme it, then it is to be confirmed with new miracles, or not to be received: But being the &s;ame which Chri&s;t, &amp; his Apo&s;tles preached, it is &s;o &s;ufficient|ly confirmed by the miracles which Chri&s;t, &amp; his Apo&s;tles wrought, that wee, with <HI>Au&s;tin</HI>
<NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg"><HI>Aug de Civi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">. Dei. l.</HI> 22.</NOTE> call him <HI>a won|der of men</HI> who now requireth mi|racles to that ende.</P>
<P>God gaue te&s;timony both to the old, and new Te&s;tament by pre&s;er|ving them miraculou&s;ly. Touching the former it is to be con&s;idered, that I&s;raell was for a long &s;ea&s;on, without
<PB N="12" REF="13">the true God, without Prie&s;t to teach and without Law
<NOTE N="b" PLACE="marg">Chro. 15.3.</NOTE> Is it not a &s;peciall worke of God, that the Scriptures then being were pre&s;erved, and that in purity? And the rather, if we con|&s;ider how de&s;pitefully <HI>Iehoiakim,</HI> cut and burnt <HI>Ieremies</HI> roule, <HI>Ier.</HI> 36.23. It is yet more remarkeable that the people of God were captiues. 70. yeares in <HI>Babylon</HI>
<NOTE N="c" PLACE="marg">Iere: 29.10. and 27.22.</NOTE>, whether al&s;o the holy ve&s;&s;els were carried. How were the Scriptures pre&s;erved al this while otherwi&s;e than by the wonderfull providence of God? But it is mo&s;t admirable, that Ieru&s;alem, and the Temple were twice de&s;troyed, once by <HI>Nebuchadnezzars</HI> &s;ervant
<NOTE N="d" PLACE="marg">2 King 25.</NOTE>, and a|gaine after Chri&s;t his a&s;cen&s;ion,
<NOTE N="e" PLACE="marg">Luke 19.41 to 44</NOTE> and yet the holy Books kept in the Tem|ple are pre&s;erved. Touching the lat|ter; It is not vnknown, that in the fir&s;t ages of the Church
<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg"><HI>Acts &amp; Mo|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ments, p.</HI> 30.</NOTE> there were grie|vous per&s;ecutions for three hundred yeares, by ten Tyrannicall Heathen Emperours of <HI>Rome,</HI> whereof (it may
<PB N="13" REF="13">be) Chri&s;t prophecyed, when he told the Churches they &s;hould haue tri|bulation
<NOTE N="f" PLACE="marg">Revel. 2.<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE> ten dayes, or times. How were the Scriptures pre&s;erved all this terrible time, other-wi&s;e than by the wonderfull providence of God? Againe; Since tho&s;e ten per&s;ecuti|ons, Antichri&s;t the Pope hath exerci|&s;ed his tyranny over the Churches for the &s;pace of about. 900. yeares. Vnder a type of a King, <HI>Daniel</HI>
<NOTE N="g" PLACE="marg">Dan. 11.31.36.37.</NOTE> pro|phecyeth of him, which is to be con|&s;idered. For it is &s;ayd; His heart &s;hall be again&s;t the holy Covenant; So the Popes heart is again&s;t the new Te&s;tament in Chri&s;t his bloud, to e|&s;tabli&s;h his merits by workes. It is al&s;o &s;ayd, <HI>On that King's part armes &s;hall &s;tand,</HI> as now they doe on the Popes part; <HI>and they &s;hall pollute the Sanctuary, and &s;et vp the abhominable de&s;olation:</HI> So doth the Pope, pollute the Churches, and &s;etteth vp his ab|hominable Ma&s;&s;e. That King, <HI>Did what he listed, cared not for any God, but
<PB N="14" REF="14">magnified him&s;elfe aboue all.</HI> Doth not the Pope all this? La&s;tly; That King, <HI>In place of the God of his Fathers, honou|red the God, Mauzzim:</HI> Doth not the Pope honour in the Ma&s;&s;e a God of bread in place of the true God? But what may induce vs to &s;uppo&s;e that King to be a type of the Pope? Be|&s;ides the many agreements noted, It is to be ob&s;erved, that how&s;oever all things, written of that King were true according to the letter: yet Chri&s;t &s;ayth
<NOTE N="h" PLACE="marg">Mat. 24.15.</NOTE> <HI>When yee &s;ee the abhomination of de&s;olation &s;poken of by</HI> Daniell, <HI>&s;tand in the holy places &amp;c,</HI> Whereby hee ap|plieth this Prophecy to the de&s;truc|tion of Ieru&s;alem, and the Temple by the Romane Emperour, as doth more plainly appeare in <HI>Luke</HI> 21.20. conferred with <HI>Dan.</HI> 9.26.27. Divines, not without Analogy, apply this prophecy to the Ma&s;&s;e, that abhomi|nation (indeede) of De&s;olation. A|gaine, It is to be ob&s;erved, that the Roman Emperour was the fir&s;t bea&s;t
<NOTE N="i" PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">evel. 13.1. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> 7.11.12.</NOTE>
<PB N="15" REF="14">that the Pope is another bea&s;t, which doth all that the fir&s;t bea&s;t did; And that the Church of Chri&s;t is the Hou&s;e of God,
<NOTE N="k" PLACE="marg">1 Tim. 3.</NOTE> as was the Temple. So then, as the Romane Emperour de&s;troyed the Temple, &s;o the Pope hath per&s;ecuted, and &s;til per&s;ecuteth the true Church of Chri&s;t. How did the new Te&s;tament, &s;o oppo&s;ite to Popery, e&s;cape &s;o long a rage, and reigne? This is the more &s;trange the&s;e things con&s;idered. The old Te&s;ta|ment in Hebrew, and the new Te&s;ta|ment in Greeke, were &s;trangers in I&s;rael ever &s;ince the Pope was, before the Go&s;pell was renewed. The Pope will not &s;uffer the Scriptures to bee read to the people in their mother tongue, &amp; the &s;econd Commaunde|ment condemning the wor&s;hipping of Images is in popi&s;h Catechi&s;mes thru&s;t out of the Decalogue. So that I may conclude that as <HI>Nebuchadnez|zar</HI>
<NOTE N="l" PLACE="marg">Dan. 3.<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE> acknowledged <HI>Shadrach, Me&s;hach,</HI> and <HI>Abednego</HI> to haue beene the &s;er|vants
<PB N="16" REF="15">of God, becau&s;e they e&s;caped the fiery furnace: &s;o God giveth a remarkeable te&s;timony to the Scrip|tures, that they bee his vndoubted word, by his &s;o wonderfull pre&s;er|vation.</P>
<P>Now it is time to proceede to the te&s;timony of Scriptures.
<MILESTONE N="4" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> But fir&s;t I will an&s;wer this que&s;tion. Is the te&s;ti|mony which the Scriptures giue to them&s;elues of &s;ufficient credit? Yes; For the &s;ame rea&s;ons, wherewith Chri&s;t
<NOTE N="m" PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ohn 1.13.14.17.18.</NOTE> iu&s;tified the record which he bare of him&s;elfe. (1) We know from whence the Scriptures came, even fro~ Gods &s;pirit
<NOTE N="n" PLACE="marg">Pet. 1.20.21.</NOTE> (2) The Father (as we haue proved) is a witne&s;&s;e, therefore the te&s;timony of two is true, and con|&s;eque~tly of credit. Now Chri&s;t &s;aith
<NOTE N="o" PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">hn 5.39.</NOTE> <HI>The Scriptures,</HI> (that is the <HI>old Testa|ment,</HI> which were before Chri&s;t) <HI>te&s;tifie of me.</HI> If of Chri&s;t, then of his Word, that is, his Go&s;pell. For the woman of <HI>Samaria</HI> could tell
<NOTE N="p" PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">hn 4.25.</NOTE> that the <HI>Me&s;siah,</HI> that is, Chri&s;t, when he
<PB N="17" REF="15">came &s;hould tell vs all things. It may be &s;he had heard, that <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> prophe|cyed of Chri&s;t, who was to be heard in all things
<NOTE N="q" PLACE="marg">Acts 7.<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters"></NOTE> Be&s;ides, Chri&s;t is the corner &s;tone of the foundation, (that is, doctrine) as of the Apo&s;tles, &s;o of the Prophets. Therefore the Pro|phets giue te&s;timony to Chri&s;t, and his word. As Mo&s;es and the Pro|phets (that is, the old Te&s;tament) giue te&s;timony to Chri&s;t, and his word, which is the doctrine of the new Te&s;tament: So Chri&s;t in tho&s;e words, <HI>Iohn</HI> 5.39. doth giue an ho|nourable te&s;timony to the old Te&s;ta|ment, &s;aying, <HI>In them ye thinke to haue eternall life.</HI> And two of the chiefe Apo&s;tles giue likewi&s;e te&s;timony to the old Te&s;tament. For <HI>Peter</HI> &s;ayth
<NOTE N="r" PLACE="marg">2 Pet. 1.<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE> <HI>Wee haue a most &s;ure word of the Pro|phets.</HI> Here <HI>Prophets</HI> (as <HI>Eph:</HI> 2.20. is put for the whole old Te&s;tament. And <HI>Paul</HI> &s;ayth
<NOTE N="&s;" PLACE="marg">2 Tim. 3<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE> <HI>The whole Scripture is given by in&s;piration.</HI> Whereby the old Te&s;tament, without doubt, is
<PB N="18" REF="16">&s;ignified, &amp; the new Te&s;tament may be vnder&s;tood.</P>
<P>Having fini&s;hed this cour&s;e of Te&s;ti|monies to the word by way of imita|tion as well as I can, I am now to &s;hew how the other three grounds doe proue this.
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">a&s;on</HI> 5.</NOTE> The fir&s;t is, <HI>There is a God to be wor&s;hipped, therefore there is a word of God to be beleeved.</HI> There be many Gods, &s;o called
<NOTE N="t" PLACE="marg">Cor. 8.5.</NOTE> Every one hath his pre&s;cribed wor&s;hip, where|by he is honoured according to his owne minde, as <HI>Saturne</HI> had his <HI>Sa|turnalia,</HI> and drunken <HI>Bacchus</HI> his <HI>Bac|chanalia.</HI> Yea, the Scriptures intimate as much,
<NOTE N="u" PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">cts 7.43.</NOTE> <HI>Moloch</HI> had his tabernacle, and <HI>Remphan</HI> his Starre. So that the true God forbiddeth his people
<NOTE N="x" PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">eut. 12.30</NOTE> to enquire how other Nations &s;erue their Gods. Now can we think that our great, and onely true God is le&s;&s;e zealous of his glory, then fal&s;e Gods be of their &s;uppo&s;ed honour? Hea|then men concluded otherwi&s;e, For when they heard that the <HI>Samaritans</HI>
<PB N="19" REF="16">were devoured by Lyons, they dee|med the cau&s;e was, <HI>Not wor&s;hipping the God of the Land after his owne man|ner</HI>
<NOTE N="y" PLACE="marg">2 King. 17.25.26.</NOTE>. God hath made all things for his owne &s;ake, yea even the wicked for the day of evill
<NOTE N="z" PLACE="marg">Prov. 16.</NOTE>, that he may be glorified, as by all things made, &s;o by the lu&s;t condemnatio~ of the wicked. Therefore he hath given a Word, that by holy Wor&s;hip, according to it, he may be glorified. For by &s;uch wor&s;hip e&s;pecially is He glorified
<NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg">Levn. 10.2.3.</NOTE>, and therefore the Glory departed from <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> when the <HI>Arke,</HI> before which <HI>I&s;rael</HI> wor&s;hipped, was taken by the <HI>Phili&s;tims</HI>
<NOTE N="b" PLACE="marg">1 Sam. 4.<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> Exod. 33.</NOTE>: So that God did iu&s;tly for&s;ake the Gentiles, becau&s;e, when they knew him by his Workes of Creation
<NOTE N="c" PLACE="marg">Rom. 1. &amp;c.</NOTE>, they did not glorifie him as God, by wor&s;hipping him ac|cording to his will. That this con&s;e|quence may yet better appeare to be good, it is to be duely ob&s;erved, that immediately after God, in the Deca|logue
<NOTE N="d" PLACE="marg">Exod. 20.3<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE>, required Wor&s;hip as due to
<PB N="20" REF="17">him onely, he commandeth that wor&s;hip to be according to his word, and not by mans inventions: And that, where God forbiddeth to in|quire how other Nations &s;erue their Gods,
<NOTE N="e" PLACE="marg">Deut. 12.30.32.</NOTE> he commandeth to take heed to his Word. And la&s;tly, that when God commanded his people to &s;anc|tifie him, he pre&s;ently commanded to binde vp the Te&s;timony
<NOTE N="f" PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 8.13.16.</NOTE>, and to &s;eale vp the Law among his Di&s;ci|ples. For (indeed) no Booke doth &s;o glorifie God, as doth the Bible, there|fore it is the true Word of God
<NOTE N="g" PLACE="marg">Ioh. 7.18.</NOTE>. All that is &s;aid, being well con&s;idered, this con&s;equence is good. There is a God, to wit, <HI>Iehovah,</HI> therefore there is a Word of God, <HI>viz:</HI> The olde and new Te&s;tament.</P>
<P>The other ground,
<MILESTONE N="6" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> and con&s;equence is this. There is a Re&s;urrection of the iu&s;t, and vniu&s;t to be expected, there|fore there is a Word of God, that is, the Scriptures, to be beleeved. For how&s;oever <HI>Cicero</HI> held the Immorta|litie
<PB N="21" REF="17">of the &s;oule; yet the <HI>Athenian</HI> Philo&s;ophers deemed the re&s;urrecti|on of the bodie to be an vnheard of point
<NOTE N="h" PLACE="marg">Act. 17.1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.32.</NOTE>. For, indeed, it is an Article of Chri&s;tian faith, and not a Tenet of naturall rea&s;on. So that the <HI>Saddu|ces</HI> (though <HI>Iewes</HI>) reiected it
<NOTE N="i" PLACE="marg">Mat. 22.33.</NOTE>. Ther|fore if it be an Article of Faith, then the Scriptures, being the only booke, that doth clearely avouch, and proue it, mu&s;t needs be the word of Faith. Againe; Why mu&s;t there be a Re&s;ur|rection? That the iu&s;t may ari&s;e vnto life, and the vniu&s;t vnto condemnati|on
<NOTE N="k" PLACE="marg">Ioh. 5.29.</NOTE>. For the la&s;t day is, The day of the generall declaration of the iu&s;t iudgement of God
<NOTE N="l" PLACE="marg">Rom. 2.5. Dan. 12.2<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE>. Now that God may appeare iu&s;t when he iudgeth, it is requi&s;ite, that he make his Will knowne by his Word; For where no Law is, there is no tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion
<NOTE N="m" PLACE="marg">Rom. 4.15</NOTE>. Therefore &s;aith Chri&s;t, <HI>If I had not come, and &s;poken to them, they &s;hould not haue had &s;inne</HI>
<NOTE N="n" PLACE="marg">Ioh. 15.22.</NOTE>: but now they haue no cloake for &s;inne. The Gentiles
<PB N="22" REF="18">had not the Law
<NOTE N="o" PLACE="marg">Rom. 2.12.14.15.</NOTE>, how can they be iudged? Yes, becau&s;e they haue the effect of the Law written in their hearts.</P>
<P>The third ground,
<MILESTONE N="7" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> and con&s;equence is this. <HI>There is a Con&s;cience to be ten|dered, therefore there is a Word of God to be beleeved.</HI> For the Spirit of God, which &s;peaketh in the Scriptures, &s;o inlightneth the mindes of Gods peo|ple, that the Word worketh vpon their Con&s;ciences. That as face an|&s;wereth face in Water
<NOTE N="p" PLACE="marg">Prov. 27.19.</NOTE>. So where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is &s;uch li|bertie
<NOTE N="q" PLACE="marg">Cor. 3.17.</NOTE>, that is, Freedome from the vaile over our hearts, that we behold, as in a gla&s;&s;e, the glory of the LORD with open face, and are changed into the &s;ame image. So that the Apo&s;tle doth pre&s;ently affirme,
<NOTE N="r" PLACE="marg">And 4.1.2.</NOTE> That having this Mini&s;try, he did not handle the Word deceitfully, but in declaration of the truth, he approoved him&s;elfe to every mans Con&s;cience. In ano|ther place,
<NOTE N="&s;" PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> T<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">e&s;. 4.8.</NOTE> he thus writeth, He that
<PB N="23" REF="18">de&s;pi&s;eth the&s;e things, de&s;pi&s;eth not man but God, who hath even given you his holy Spirit. Which is as if he &s;hould &s;ay, The Spirit of God, in your reading, cannot but acknowledg the &s;ame Spirit in me writing, therefore take heede how yee de&s;pi&s;e tho&s;e things. It may be ob&s;erued, that the more godly any is, the more readily doth his Con&s;cience reflect vpon the Word. Which is intimated by the A|po&s;tle, &s;aying,
<NOTE N="t" PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 2.6.</NOTE> I &s;peake Wi&s;edome a|mong them that are perfect. Nay; the Con&s;ciences of them, who are not perfect, are mooved by the Word. The vnlearned man, the &s;ecrets of who&s;e heart are made manife&s;t by Prophecy
<NOTE N="u" PLACE="marg">1 Cor 14.24.25.</NOTE>, (that is, powerfull Prea|ching the Word) is compelled, in Con&s;cience, to &s;ay, God is in the Preacher indeede: And <HI>Agrippa</HI> was by <HI>Pauls</HI> Preaching, (though he a pri&s;oner) compelled, in con&s;cience, to &s;ay
<NOTE N="x" PLACE="marg">Acts. 16.27.28.</NOTE>; <HI>Almo&s;t thou per&s;wade&s;t me to become a Chri&s;tian.</HI> So that the con|&s;cience
<PB N="24" REF="19">giueth an evident te&s;timony to the Word of God. All then due|ly con&s;idered, we may collect, and conclude, &amp;c.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, if the Church of God, through|out all ages, haue avouched the olde, and new Te&s;tament to be the Word of God. Secondly, if, how&s;oever the Scriptures be for the mo&s;t part, &s;im|ple, and plaine, yet, Gods Spirit wor|king by them, they be mightie in o|peration. Thirdly, if the Scriptures conteine many Prophecies of great things, which accordingly came to pa&s;&s;e in due time. Fourthly, if God gaue te&s;timony to the olde, and new Te&s;tament, by a voyce from heaven. Fiftly, if he confirmed them by mira|cles. Sixtly, if he haue wonderfully pre&s;erved them vnto this time. Se|venthly, if the olde Te&s;tament giue te&s;timony to the new, and the new to the olde; as <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> to <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> and <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> to <HI>Mo&s;es.</HI> Eightly, if it follow, that, If there be a God to be wor&s;hipped, <HI>viz.</HI>
<PB N="25" REF="19">The God of <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> there mu&s;t needes be a Word, <HI>viz:</HI> the Scriptures, that according to them he may be wor|&s;hipped. Ninthly, if it be a good con|&s;equence, A Re&s;urrection of the iu&s;t, and vniu&s;t is to be expected, therefore there is a Word of God, <HI>viz.</HI> the Scriptures, that God may appeare iu&s;t, when he iudgeth in the la&s;t day; And tenthly, if this be a &s;ound <HI>En|thymeme,</HI> There is a Con&s;cience, ther|fore the Scriptures be the Word of God; Becau&s;e the Con&s;cience, both of perfect Chri&s;tians, and other, doth giue an evident te&s;timony to them; then, There is a Word of God, <HI>viz.</HI> the olde, and new Te&s;tament, to be beleeved.</P>
<P>Here (perhaps) &s;ome would expect a re&s;olution of the que&s;tion betweene the <HI>Papi&s;ts,</HI> and vs, touching the <HI>Apo|cryphall</HI> Writings, <HI>viz. E&s;dras, Tobit, &amp;c.</HI> Whether they be parts of the Ca|nonicall Scriptures, or no. I told you, when I fir&s;t entred vpon this Text,
<PB N="26" REF="20">that it offereth iu&s;t occa&s;ion of di&s;|cu&s;&s;ing many points of Religion, fit|ter for the Schooles, than for this Auditory: Yet becau&s;e many take occa&s;ion to deeme tho&s;e Writings to be Canonicall, becau&s;e they are ordinarily bound in the mid&s;t of them, (notwith&s;tanding the wall of &s;eparation, prudently and provident|ly &s;et, by Authoritie, betweene the Bookes of the olde Te&s;tament, and them, I meane, the title <HI>[Apocrypha]</HI> with a declaration of the meaning therof, I will &s;hew you my iudgment in a few words. I deeme them, or mo&s;t of them, Writings worthy of reve|rend e&s;timation for their antiquitie, and many things worthy diligent reading: But I deny them to be Ca|nonicall, that is, the wordes of God, or Rules, whereby our Faith is to be &s;quared. For we are to be builded onely vpon the foundation of the Apo&s;tles, and Prophets, Chri&s;t him|&s;elfe being the corner &s;tone
<NOTE N="y" PLACE="marg">Ephe&s;. 2.20.</NOTE>. For re|verence
<PB N="27" REF="20">to tho&s;e Writings, and for my words &s;ake, I forbeare to note ob|liquities in them, &s;uch as are &s;uffici|ent to demon&s;trate that they be not endited by the Spirit of God. I there|fore de&s;ire you to con&s;ider but this one Argument. If they be parts of Canonicall Scriptures, they are parts either of the olde, or of the new Te|&s;tament: But they are parts of nei|ther; Therefore they are no parts of the Canonicall Scriptures. I never heard that any <HI>Papi&s;t</HI> affirmed them to be parts of the new Te&s;tament. And (indeed) their antiquitie, and contents doe manife&s;t that they were written before any part of the new Te&s;tament was written. To prooue that they be not parts of the olde Te&s;tament, I will not vrge a rea&s;on of <HI>Hierom</HI>
<NOTE N="z" PLACE="marg">In Prolog<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters"> Galeato.</NOTE>, <HI>viz:</HI> They are not in the Regi&s;ter of divine Bookes, which the <HI>Iewes</HI> pre&s;erved: but de&s;ire this to be co~&s;idered, that they be in Greeke, whereas all the Bookes of the olde
<PB N="28" REF="21">Te&s;tament be in Hebrew. So (with|out doubt) had the&s;e beene likewi&s;e, had they beene written by in&s;pirati|on of the Holy Gho&s;t. For the Ora|cles of God, the giving of the Law, the &s;ervice of God, and the promi&s;es pertained to the <HI>I&s;raelites</HI>
<NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 span">.</NOTE>. If the&s;e were among&s;t them, &s;hould they not haue beene in the &s;ame Language? Againe; The Law, and the Prophets were read in the Synagogues of the <HI>Iewes</HI>
<NOTE N="b" PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 span"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">1.<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">7.</NOTE>. If the&s;e Writings were a|mong&s;t them, &s;hould not they al&s;o haue beene read? But &s;urely <HI>Popery</HI> had not then prevailed, to per&s;wade the Scriptures to be read in a &s;trange language to the people a&s;&s;embled on the Sabbath day. Therefore I may conclude, that the Apocryphall Wri|tings are no parts of the Canonicall Scriptures.</P>
<P>Now am I to proceede on to V&s;es to be builded vpon this ground of Religion. There is a Word of God, <HI>viz:</HI> The Bible, con&s;i&s;ting of the olde
<PB N="29" REF="21">and new Te&s;tament, to be beleeved. If this be true indeed, then the holy Scriptures are to be highly e&s;teemed, as the vndoubted Word of God. For, as when we know God, if we doe not glorifie him as God
<NOTE N="c" PLACE="marg">Rom. 1.2<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE>, he will not be better plea&s;ed with vs, than he was with the Gentiles: &s;o if we acknow|ledge the truth of this Doctrine, and doe not e&s;teeme the Word as the Word of God, wee &s;hall be iudged as de&s;pi&s;ers of it. For not to regard, as we &s;hould, is to de&s;pi&s;e. As <HI>Timothy</HI> had beene de&s;pi&s;ed
<NOTE N="d" PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.10.11.</NOTE>, if (notwith&s;tan|ding his youth) the <HI>Corinthians</HI> had not convoyed him on his Iourney towards <HI>Paul,</HI> &s;eeing he wrought the worke of the Lord, as <HI>Paul</HI> did. And Chri&s;t maketh not hearing, and de|&s;pi&s;ing the Word Preached by the &s;e|ventie
<NOTE N="e" PLACE="marg">Luk. 10.16.11.</NOTE> to be aequivalent. How in|dignely this de&s;pi&s;ing is taken, &s;hak|ing of du&s;t, and le&s;&s;ening of the iudg|ments of <HI>Tyrus,</HI> and <HI>Sidon,</HI> in compa|ri&s;on doe demon&s;trate. Therefore let
<PB N="30" REF="22">vs imitate <HI>David,</HI> who e&s;teemed the Word better than Gold, yea than much fine Gold
<NOTE N="f" PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">al. 19.10.</NOTE>; and the Merchant, who &s;olde all he had to buy a Pearle of price
<NOTE N="g" PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">at. 13.45.<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">6.</NOTE>. And let vs de&s;erue the commendations which <HI>Paul</HI> giveth to the <HI>The&s;&s;alonians</HI>
<NOTE N="h" PLACE="marg">The&s;. 2.13.</NOTE>, for receiving the Word, not as the Word of men, but as the Word of God. Suppo&s;e a true religious man had the onely Bi|ble in the world, would he part with it, thinke yee, for the riche&s;t Iewel in the World? If a Booke being the Workman&s;hip of a man be worthily &s;o to be e&s;teemed for the Contents &s;ake, how highly are we to e&s;teeme the doctrine of the Bible, being the Word of God? But how are we to manife&s;t our high e&s;timation of the Word of God? Not chiefely by bin|ding the Bible faire, though that &s;heweth &s;ome good re&s;pect thereof: Nor by &s;etting it hand&s;omely in the Window, or &s;ome eminent place, and never, or &s;eldome reade therein: But
<PB N="31" REF="22">by hearing, beleeving, and obeying it as the Word of God.</P>
<P>In &s;uch hearing,
<MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> two things are re|quired, Readie diligence, and Reli|gious reverence. Touching the for|mer it is Prophecied; That in the la&s;t dayes, Chri&s;t his people &s;hall come willingly at the time of A&s;&s;embly, as an Army in holy beautie
<NOTE N="i" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 110<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE>: and, That many people &s;hall flow to the hou&s;e of the Lord
<NOTE N="k" PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 2.2.</NOTE>, inciting one another. And why? Becau&s;e the Word of the Lord goeth from <HI>Ieru&s;alem.</HI> This is to &s;eeke after the knowledge of Gods will in his Word, as for trea&s;ure
<NOTE N="l" PLACE="marg">Prov. 2.</NOTE>. Ac|cording to tho&s;e Prophecies. The Kingdome of God was Preached, and every man pre&s;&s;ed vnto it
<NOTE N="m" PLACE="marg">Luk. 16.</NOTE> after the comming of <HI>Iohn Bapti&s;t.</HI> The A|po&s;tles would not goe from Chri&s;t
<NOTE N="n" PLACE="marg">Ioh. 6.67.68.</NOTE>, (as &s;ome Di&s;ciples did) becau&s;e He had the words of eternall life. And <HI>Cornelius</HI> a Captaine, when he heard that <HI>Peter</HI> &s;hould tell him what he ought to doe, &s;ent immediately for
<PB N="32" REF="23">him, and having called together his kin&s;men, and &s;peciall friends, waited for him
<NOTE N="o" PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ct. 10.5.6.7 <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">4.33.</NOTE>, and were ready to heare what&s;oever he &s;hould &s;ay from God. Hereby are condemned &s;uch as haue &s;mall zeale in repairing to the Word, but ab&s;ent them&s;elues vpon &s;mall oc|ca&s;ions, as prooving of Oxen
<NOTE N="p" PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">uk. 14.19.<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">1.</NOTE>, with whom God is angry. Such as remem|ber not the Sabbath day, &s;o as to di&s;|po&s;e of their bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, that they may be ready in due time to attend the Word. They will remember, and pleade, that it is a day of re&s;t, &amp; &s;leepe the longer that day: But they forget that the re&s;t mu&s;t be holy to the Lord
<NOTE N="q" PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">od. 31.15.</NOTE>. Yea &s;uch are hereby condem|ned, who though they &s;eeme to haue &s;ome mind to heare the Word Prea|ched, and therefore ca&s;t to come to that betime, yet are not diligent to come to heare the Word read. As if the Word read be not to be regarded as the Word of God, and, As if it be not nece&s;&s;ary that Gods people
<PB N="33" REF="23">&s;hould know, in &s;ome mea&s;ure, the letter, and body of the Scriptures; Wherevnto they cannot attaine by hearing onely tho&s;e &s;mall Texts wherevpon Preachers Di&s;cour&s;e. Therefore Chri&s;tian Churches haue well imitated the auncient people of God
<NOTE N="r" PLACE="marg">Act. 13.1. &amp; 15.21<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE>, in appointing the Scriptures to be read in the great Congregati|ons, e&s;pecially on the Lords day, &s;o as the body thereof may be read over againe, and againe in time. Where|vnto if the people doe not diligently re&s;ort, e&s;pecially &s;uch as want lear|ning, lei&s;ure, or Bibles to reade, doe they e&s;teeme the Word read as the Word of God?</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="V&s;e"> A &s;econd thing required in hea|ring the word, as the word of God, is religious reverence. When we pray we &s;peake to God, &amp; then we kneele
<NOTE N="&s;" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 95<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE>, or &s;hould doe: when the word is read, or preached, God &s;peaketh to vs, and &s;hall we not heare him with religious reverence? We heare the
<PB N="34" REF="24">Iudge giving a charge in the A&s;&s;i&s;es, with vncovered heads, and all civill reverence, and &s;hall not our demea|nure be religiou&s;ly reverent, when God &s;peaketh vnto vs in his word? <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> was to put off his &s;hooes be|cau&s;e of the pre&s;ence of God &s;peak|ing out of a burning bu&s;h:
<NOTE N="t" PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">od. 3.4.5.9.10.11.17.</NOTE> And the people were to be &s;anctified when they were to meete with God &s;peak|ing the tenne Commaundements. When we heare the word preached wee are in Gods &s;peciall pre&s;ence, therefore wee are exhorted by the Spirit
<NOTE N="u" PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">cle&s;. 5.1.</NOTE> <HI>to looke to our feete before we en|ter into the hou&s;e of God, and bee more ready to heare, than to offer the &s;acrifice of fooles.</HI> And Chri&s;t &s;tood when he read his text
<NOTE N="x" PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">ke 4.16.20.</NOTE>: but he &s;at after, when he preached. All this doth &s;hew, that the word is to be heard with religi|ous reverence. Yea there be &s;ome learned Divines, who hold that men ought to be vncovered, that is, put off their hatts the whole Sermon
<PB N="35" REF="24">while. But for my part, I dare not preci&s;ely binde the con&s;cience of a|ny man to this, or that particular de|mon&s;tration of religious reverence. Though I graunt that a Sermon is to be heard with religious reverence as well as the word read: For Mini|&s;ters of the Go&s;pell are the me&s;&s;en|gers of God (as were the Prie&s;ts of the Law
<NOTE N="z" PLACE="marg">Mal. 2.7. 2 Cor. 5.<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> 1 Cor. 4. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"></NOTE>) and it is to be pre&s;umed, that their lips al&s;o pre&s;erue knowledge, therefore people mu&s;t, with religious reverence, hearken to the word from their mouth. Heereby are condem|ned &s;uch as come to Wi&s;edomes fea&s;t
<NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg">Prou 9.3.</NOTE> without a wedding garment
<NOTE N="b" PLACE="marg">Math. 22.</NOTE>, that is, due preparation and fitne&s;&s;e. As al&s;o &s;uch as &s;leepe, talke, gaze a|bout, or otherwi&s;e haue their minds drawne from hearing the word. Is this to haue either their eyes fa&s;tned
<NOTE N="c" PLACE="marg">Luke 4.2<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE> vpon the Preacher, or to haue hearts opened by the Lord
<NOTE N="d" PLACE="marg">Acts 16. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"></NOTE> to hearken to his word?</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="4" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> It is not a &s;ufficient e&s;timation of
<PB N="36" REF="25">the Word to repaire therevnto with diligence, and to heare it with reve|rence, except we beleeue it as the Word of God. For if the Word be not mixed with Faith in tho&s;e that heare it
<NOTE N="e" PLACE="marg">Hebr. 4.2.</NOTE>, it will not profit them vnto either reformation, aedification, or con&s;olation, which are the effects of Prophecy
<NOTE N="f" PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 14.3.24.25.</NOTE>, that is, of powerfull Prea|ching. Againe; He, who beleeveth the Word &s;o as to receiue
<NOTE N="g" PLACE="marg">Ioh. 1.12.</NOTE>, that is, to beleeue the te&s;timony thereof, doth &s;eale that God is true
<NOTE N="h" PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> &amp; 3.33.34.</NOTE>: But God is true (I may adde, <HI>Ab&s;olutely</HI>) and to be iu&s;tified in his wordes
<NOTE N="i" PLACE="marg">Rom. 3.4.</NOTE>; I may adde, <HI>becau&s;e they be ab&s;olutely true as God is.</HI> Therfore they are to be heard with Faith, re&s;ting vpon them ab&s;o|lutely without all doubting of their truth. For the Word of God is called the <HI>Faith of God</HI>
<NOTE N="k" PLACE="marg">Rom. 3.3.</NOTE>: Which intimateth, that if we beleeue Faith to be in God, we mu&s;t beleeue his Word accor|dingly. This is a maine difference be|tweene the Word of God (which is
<PB N="37" REF="25">to be heard with Faith how&s;oever it cro&s;&s;e our iudgement; for Faith &s;ur|mounteth Rea&s;on) and the Word of man, which is no further to be belee|ved, than it agreeth with the Word, which is, Truth it &s;elfe
<NOTE N="l" PLACE="marg">Ioh. 17.1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE>: For every man is by nature, a Lyar
<NOTE N="m" PLACE="marg">Rom. 3.<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE>, and there|fore is not to be iu&s;tified in all his wordes. So that, Gods people may lawfully (&s;o it be with Di&s;cretion, and Humilitie) examine the Doctrine, by what Preacher &s;oever delivered, whe|ther it be warranted by the Scrip|tures, or no, if the truth thereof be not evident to them, as did the no|bly-minded <HI>Beraeans</HI>
<NOTE N="n" PLACE="marg">Acts. 17.1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.11.</NOTE>. But if the truth of the Word be delivered to their Con&s;ciences, then mu&s;t they beleeue it without any demurring. So the Apo&s;tles beleeved that Chri&s;t his fle&s;h is meat indeed, and his bloud drinke indeed
<NOTE N="o" PLACE="marg">Ioh. 6.55.<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">.61.66.67.6<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE>, and followed him without any offence, becau&s;e he had the words of eternall life, whereas o|ther &s;eeming Di&s;ciples were offen|ded,
<PB N="38" REF="26">and gaue over following Chri&s;t, becau&s;e it &s;eemed to their naturall rea&s;on to be an hard &s;aying. So <HI>Abra|ham</HI>
<NOTE N="p" PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">om. 4.18.19.20.21.</NOTE> <HI>aboue hope,</HI> in regard of his olde age, and his wife's barrenne&s;&s;e, but <HI>vnder hope</HI> in regard of Gods power, beleeved the Word of God, promi|&s;ing to make him a Father of many Nations. So <HI>Hezekiah</HI>
<NOTE N="q" PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;a. 39.5.6.<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.8.</NOTE> (though a King) was not angry with the Pro|phet, prophecying mo&s;t grievous things to him, but beleeved his Pro|phecy (&s;o cro&s;&s;ing natural affections) as the VVord of God, and &s;ayd, <HI>The Word of the Lord is good.</HI> Here I &s;up|po&s;e, it will be &s;ome comfort to know how yee may iudge of your &s;elues in the time of hearing, whe|ther the VVord be mixed with faith; I'le &s;hew you. If your hearts an&s;wer Gods VVord, as did <HI>Davids,</HI> when God &s;ayd
<NOTE N="r" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 27.8.</NOTE>, <HI>Seeke yee my face,</HI> his heart an&s;wered, <HI>O Lord, I will &s;eeke thy face.</HI> For Faith is &s;uch an a&s;&s;ent to every VVord of God, as produceth affec|tions,
<PB N="39" REF="26">and actions an&s;werable to the VVord, wherevnto the heart a&s;&s;en|teth. So that when <HI>Iohn Bapti&s;t</HI> Prea|cheth Repentance
<NOTE N="&s;" PLACE="marg">Math. 11.1.16.17.18.1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE>, we grieue in the &s;en&s;e of &s;inne: and when Chri&s;t Prea|cheth the Go&s;pell, we are comforted in hope of forgiuenen&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>Hereby are condemned &s;uch as are like tho&s;e proud men
<NOTE N="t" PLACE="marg">Iere. 43.2.</NOTE>, who tolde <HI>Ie|remy,</HI> that he &s;pake fal&s;ely when he delivered the Word of God which cro&s;&s;ed their purpo&s;es. Secondly, Such as be like the Prince
<NOTE N="u" PLACE="marg">2 King. 7.1.2.17.</NOTE>, who con|traried the Word of God touching &s;uddaine cheapne&s;&s;e of Corne, be|cau&s;e it was contrary to his &s;en&s;uall rea&s;on: But the Word was fulfilled, and he peri&s;hed. And thirdly, Moc|kers
<NOTE N="x" PLACE="marg">2 Pet. 3.3.4.</NOTE>, which, in the&s;e la&s;t dayes, will walke after their lu&s;ts, not beleeving the promi&s;e of Chri&s;t his comming to iudgement, becau&s;e it is deferred. Yea, fourthly, tho&s;e weake ones, who are like to <HI>David</HI>
<NOTE N="y" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 116.11.</NOTE>, who &s;ayd in his feare, <HI>All men be lyars,</HI> meaning e&s;pe|cially
<PB N="40" REF="27"><HI>Samuel,</HI> who annointed him to be King
<NOTE N="z" PLACE="marg">Sam. 16.13</NOTE>: But before he got the Crowne, <HI>Saul</HI> &s;o per&s;ecuted him, that he doubted of the word which <HI>Samu|el</HI> had &s;poken. Fiftly, Much more are they hereby condemned, who, out of an humour troubled by the Word, doe cavill again&s;t it, contrary to the Apo&s;tle <HI>Iames</HI> his exhortation,
<NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg">Tam. 1.21.19</NOTE> <HI>That we &s;hould receiue the Word with meekne&s;&s;e, and therefore &s;hould be &s;wift to heare &s;low to &s;peake, &amp; &s;low to wrath.</HI> For <HI>Wrath,</HI> becau&s;e the VVord cro&s;|&s;eth our mind, &s;tirreth vp the tongue vnto gain-&s;aying, and therefore the VVord is not beleeved as the Word of God. Sixtly, Hereby are condem|ned &s;uch as de&s;payre in the time of affliction, and doe not liue by Faith
<NOTE N="b" PLACE="marg">Hab. 2.3.4.</NOTE>, waiting for the appointed time when the vi&s;ion will &s;peake comfort. And &s;eaventhly, &s;uch as like the <HI>Elders</HI> of <HI>I&s;rael</HI>
<NOTE N="c" PLACE="marg">Ezek. 14.1.3.</NOTE>, &s;et vp Idols in their hearts, which are &s;tumbling blockes of ini|quitie, &s;topping the way betweene
<PB N="41" REF="27">the VVord, and Faith, &s;o as they cannot be mixed in them that heare, I meane tho&s;e who heare the Word with preiudicate opinions, <HI>Papi&s;ts</HI> or other, who will &s;top their eares, and not heare the Word, &s;o as to beleeue it as the Word of God, <HI>charme the charmer never &s;o wi&s;ely</HI>
<NOTE N="d" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 58.5.</NOTE>.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="5" UNIT="V&s;e"> The third thing required to mani|fe&s;t our high e&s;timation of the Word, is, To obey it as the Word of God. For to heare the Word, and not to o|bey it, is deemed by God a <HI>ca&s;ting it away</HI>
<NOTE N="e" PLACE="marg">1 Sam. 15.22.23.</NOTE>. Therefore wee deceiue our &s;elues, though we be hearers, if we be not doers al&s;o of the Word
<NOTE N="f" PLACE="marg">Iam. 1.22.</NOTE>: But what is required of vs that we may o|bey the Word as the Word of God? I an&s;were, many things. Among the re&s;t e&s;pecially, Ab&s;olute obedience to what&s;oever the Word comman|deth, without making any que&s;tion, or difficultie. For God is of ab&s;o|lute authoritie, and therfore we pray,
<NOTE N="g" PLACE="marg">Math. 6.10.</NOTE> <HI>Thy will be done on earth, as it is in
<PB N="42" REF="28">heaven:</HI> and, His Word is perfect, and right
<NOTE N="h" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 19.7.8.</NOTE>, Therefore our ab&s;olute obedience is not blinde, as is the o|bedience of Ie&s;uites to their &s;uperi|ours, whom they mu&s;t obey, though they command the killing of Prin|ces, not inquiring after the lawful|ne&s;&s;e of &s;uch a Commandement: But their &s;uper&s;titious, and blinde o|bedience condemneth vs, if we yeeld not ab&s;olute obedience to the Word of God, which is of ab&s;olute autho|ritie, and altogether without errour. So be not the Commandements of the Pope, or of any humane Superi|our whom&s;oever Let vs con&s;ider &s;ome few examples of obedience to the Word, as to the Word of God. That vnmatchable example of <HI>A|braham,</HI> may well be <HI>In&s;tar omnium,</HI> who obeying the Word of God, &s;pa|red not <HI>I&s;aac</HI> his onely &s;onne
<NOTE N="i" PLACE="marg">Gen. 22.1.2.<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.9.10.16.</NOTE>, be|gotten in his olde age
<NOTE N="k" PLACE="marg">And 21.2.</NOTE>, and in both the&s;e re&s;pects dearely beloved; Yea, the Sonne of Promi&s;e
<NOTE N="l" PLACE="marg">Gal. 4.28.</NOTE>; with whom,
<PB N="43" REF="28">and his &s;eede, God promi&s;ed to e|&s;tabli&s;h an everla&s;ting Covenant
<NOTE N="m" PLACE="marg">Gen. 17.19.</NOTE>: But without pleading any of the&s;e things
<NOTE N="n" PLACE="marg">Zach. 12.</NOTE>, aro&s;e early to goe to &s;acrifice him, with his owne handes. Now wheras <HI>Abraham</HI> is the Father of all
<NOTE N="o" PLACE="marg">Rom. 4.1</NOTE>, who walke in the &s;teps of his Faith, I will tell you one other example of his obedience to the Word of God, which is remarkeable too, the rather becau&s;e the Spirit of God taketh &s;pe|ciall notice thereof
<NOTE N="p" PLACE="marg">Heb. 11.</NOTE>, &s;hewing vs that <HI>Abraham</HI> obeyed God commanding him to goe he knew not whither. VVhich la&s;t words imply, that he o|beyed readily without que&s;tioning whether dangers were in the way, and what commodious dwelling was in the place wherevnto he &s;hould goe; therefore it is &s;aid, that by <HI>Faith he obeyed.</HI> So al&s;o it is written in the &s;ame Chapter, Ver&s;e 17. that <HI>Abra|ham offered vp I&s;aac by Faith.</HI> Where|by the Spirit of God intimateth, that in both the&s;e obediences, <HI>Abraham</HI>
<PB N="44" REF="29">e&s;teemed the Commandements, as the words of God. I &s;hall expre&s;&s;e this point yet more plainely by an example of <HI>Peters</HI> walking vpon the Sea at Chri&s;t his bidding
<NOTE N="q" PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">at. 14.34.<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">.36.37.<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">8.39.</NOTE>. But note, that <HI>Peter</HI> perceiving that it was Chri&s;t, and not a Spirit, as he, and his fellowes feared, who walked on the Sea in the night, &s;ayd, Ma&s;ter, if it be thou, bid me come vnto thee on the water. Which &s;heweth how highly he e&s;teemed of Chri&s;t his Word, per&s;waded that obeying it he &s;hould neither tempt God
<NOTE N="r" PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> 4.5.6.7.</NOTE>, nor pe|ri&s;h by going on the water. I will adde but another example, wherein yee may &s;ee both the Wi&s;dome of the fle&s;h, and obedience of Faith. <HI>Naaman</HI> was directed
<NOTE N="&s;" PLACE="marg">King. 5.10 12.13.14.</NOTE> by a me&s;&s;enger from <HI>Eli&s;ha,</HI> to wa&s;h him&s;elfe in <HI>Ior|dan</HI> for cure of his lepro&s;ie; He went away murmuring; But per&s;waded by his &s;ervants to haue due regard of the Prophets word, he obeyed, and was cured.</P>
<PB N="45" REF="29">
<P> Hereby are condemned (1) rebel|lious hearers of the word, who &s;ay, The word which thou ha&s;t &s;poken vnto vs in the name of the Lord, wee will not heare
<NOTE N="t" PLACE="marg">Ier. 44.16.</NOTE>: but we will doe what we thinke good, and as our Princes, and Fathers before vs haue done. (2) Pre&s;umptuous hearers, who ble&s;&s;e them&s;elues in their hearts
<NOTE N="u" PLACE="marg">Deut. 29.1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.2<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE>, when they heare iudgements out of the word again&s;t their &s;innes, and &s;o adde drunkenne&s;&s;e to thir&s;t: but God will not be mercifull to &s;uch. (3) Hy|pocriticall hearers, who call one vp|on another
<NOTE N="x" PLACE="marg">Ezek. 33.30.31.</NOTE> to heare the word, and &s;it before the Preacher, as reverently as others, but they make a ie&s;t of it, and will not obey it. And (4) &s;uch as pretend obedience to the word out of a &s;udden fla&s;h of zeale, like the young man
<NOTE N="y" PLACE="marg">Mark. 10.17.21.22.</NOTE> who came running, and kneeling to Chri&s;t, to know what he might doe for eternall life: But when Chri&s;t bad him &s;ell, and giue all to the poore, and follow him, hee went
<PB N="46" REF="30">away &s;orrowfull; for he was rich: So, many, when the word reprooveth them for drunkenne&s;&s;e, are grieved for the pre&s;ent, confe&s;&s;e it is their &s;inne, and wi&s;h they could leaue it, but they doe not.</P>
<P>I haue told you of &s;ome to be con|demned for not beleeving, and of o|thers, for not obeying the word as the word of God; Now I mu&s;t tell you of the Antichri&s;tian Synagogue of Rome, which &s;hamefully offen|deth in both tho&s;e re&s;pects, in taking the &s;econd Commaundement out of the Decalogue, as hath beene &s;aid, contrary to the expre&s;&s;e word of God; who giveth this peremptorie charge
<NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg">Deut. 12.32.</NOTE>, <HI>What&s;oever I commaund you, take heede you doe it. Thou &s;halt put nothing thereto, nor take ought there-from.</HI> If the <HI>Papists</HI> did beleeue the word, as the word of God, dur&s;t they thus abu&s;e ignorant people? God deliver vs from vnrea|&s;onable, and evill men
<NOTE N="b" PLACE="marg">The&s;. 3.2.</NOTE>: for all men
<PB N="47" REF="30">haue not faith. Now; why doe they this? Even becau&s;e they are &s;o ad|dicted to Idolatry, that de&s;pi&s;ing the cen&s;ure of Chri&s;t, <HI>Mat.</HI> 5.19. they will neither obey this word of God them&s;elues
<NOTE N="c" PLACE="marg">Mat. 5.1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE>, nor &s;uffer the people to obey it, in not wor&s;hipping Ima|ges. For they feare, that if it were publi&s;hed in their Catechi&s;mes, the people would, in time, abhorre that <HI>babi&s;h,</HI> and <HI>Babyloni&s;h</HI> Idolatry, ob|&s;erving how preci&s;ely that comman|dement forbiddeth the wor&s;hipping of Images, and how iealous God is thereof. And the more, when they know and con&s;ider, that the whole Decalogue was written twice in Ta|bles of Stone
<NOTE N="d" PLACE="marg">Exod. 3.18. and 3<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> and 20.1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE>, with the finger of God; which argueth the perpetui|tie thereof, and that the Commande|ment forbidding wor&s;hipping of I|mages is twice recorded by the Spi|rit
<NOTE N="e" PLACE="marg">Deut. 5.</NOTE>, as the &s;econd of the ten Com|mandements &s;poken by God him|&s;elfe. But I pray you take know|ledge
<PB N="48" REF="31">of mo&s;t damnable cou&s;enage, <HI>viz.</HI> Becau&s;e the Scriptures &s;ay ex|pre&s;&s;ely, that God wrote ten Com|mandements in the two Tables
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">eut. 10.4.</NOTE>, and the people generally know that there mu&s;t be ten Commandements, they divide the tenth Commandement, and make <HI>Thou &s;halt not covet thy neighbours wife,</HI> the ninth; and <HI>Thou &s;halt not covet thy neighbours hou&s;e, &amp;c.</HI> the tenth. Note further, I pray you, as cou&s;enage, &s;o gro&s;&s;e ab&s;urdi|tie; For the Commandement con&s;i|&s;teth onely in the&s;e words, <HI>Thou &s;halt not covet;</HI> So that it is ab&s;urd to &s;ay that there be &s;o many Commande|ments as there be obiects of cove|ting mentioned, as Oxe, A&s;&s;e, &amp;c. Were it not ab&s;urd to make two Commandements of the fifth, be|cau&s;e therein be mentioned two ob|iects, (<HI>viz.</HI> Father, and Mother) of Honour, the dutie commanded. If it be &s;ayd, that Honour is but once commanded, whereas Coveting is
<PB N="49" REF="31">twice forbidden, yea &s;o, as that Co|veting a neighbours wife is fir&s;t for|bidden, as if there were a kinde of re&s;pect to the &s;eaventh Commande|ment: and Coveting a neighbours hou&s;e, is forbidden afterward, as if there were a kinde of re&s;pect to the eight Commandement: I an&s;wer. All (yet) is but <HI>Coveting;</HI> which is twice vrged, becau&s;e more know|ledge &s;hould be taken of the Com|mandement: For if <HI>Paul</HI> had not knowne <HI>Lust</HI> to be a &s;inne
<NOTE N="g" PLACE="marg">Rom. 7.<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE>, had not this Commandement forbidden it, how would others haue knowne it? But further, I an&s;were; That how|&s;oever, indeed, not-coveting a wife be fir&s;t &s;et downe <HI>Deut.</HI> 5.21. yet not|coveting an hou&s;e is fir&s;t &s;et downe <HI>Exod.</HI> 20.17. Which &s;heweth that not-coveting hou&s;e, wife, &amp;c. is for|bidden by one, and the &s;ame Com|mandement. Haue not we cau&s;e to thanke God, that we are delivered from Popery, which is the My&s;tery of iniquitie?</P>
<PB N="50" REF="32">
<P> Here (it may be) &s;ome will grant that the Word &s;poken by God, or Chri&s;t, who was God as well as man
<NOTE N="h" PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ath. 1.23.</NOTE>, is to be beleeved, and obeyed ab&s;o|lutely without any doubting, or que|&s;tioning: But they thinke, that the doctrine of others is not &s;o to be be|leeved, and obeyed. Let &s;uch remem|ber that God approoved the minde of the people, de&s;iring that GOD would &s;peake to them no more him|&s;elfe
<NOTE N="i" PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> 5.25.26.27.28.</NOTE>, and promi&s;ing to heare, and doe what&s;oever God &s;hall &s;peake vn|to them by his &s;ervant.
<MILESTONE UNIT="Obiect."> It may be it will be replied. Yea, we grant that <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> Prophets, and Apo&s;tles &s;ent immediately from God, or Chri&s;t, their words are to be beleeved, and obeyed ab&s;olutely: But &s;o are not the Sermons of Preachers in the&s;e times. Indeed,
<MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;."> the Per&s;ons of ordinary Pa|&s;tors, and Teachers, are not &s;ent im|mediately from God, or Chri&s;t, as were the per&s;ons of Prophets, and A|po&s;tles: But their Mini&s;tery it &s;elfe
<PB N="51" REF="32">was immediately
<NOTE N="k" PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 12.<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> ordeined by Chri&s;t, wherevnto they having fit gifts for the &s;ame, are called by the voyce of the Church
<NOTE N="l" PLACE="marg">Acts. 14.2<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE>, and there|fore to be e&s;teemed as Mini&s;ters of Chri&s;t
<NOTE N="m" PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 16.10.11.</NOTE>. For they performe the &s;ame ordinary worke of the Mini|&s;tery, in di&s;po&s;ing the My&s;teries of God vnto the aedification of the Church, which the Apo&s;tles did. Therefore the Apo&s;tle exhorteth Gods people
<NOTE N="n" PLACE="marg">Heb. 13.1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE> to <HI>obey</HI> (which im|plyeth <HI>hearing,</HI> and <HI>beleeving</HI>) &s;uch as had the charge of their &s;oules. If then people are to e&s;teeme their Pa&s;tors, and Teachers, as the Mini&s;ters of Chri&s;t, they mu&s;t, as did <HI>Cornelius</HI>
<NOTE N="o" PLACE="marg">Acts. 10.3.33.</NOTE>, pre&s;ume, that they will Preach the Word of GOD, and be prepared accordingly to <HI>heare,</HI> which implyeth <HI>beleeving</HI> and <HI>obeying.</HI> I grant, that the doc|trine of Pa&s;tors, and Teachers, be they never &s;o learned, and faith|full, is &s;ubiect to errour; where|as
<PB N="52" REF="33">the Prophets, and Apo&s;tles de|livered an infallible truth, there|fore people may the more diligent|ly (&s;o it be with humilitie) try the Spirits.
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> Ioh. 4.1.</NOTE> But if the truth of Gods Word be declared to their Con&s;ci|ences, let them remember what Chri&s;t &s;ayth
<NOTE N="p" PLACE="marg">Luk. 10.1.16.</NOTE>, &s;peaking (not of the Apo&s;tles, but) of the &s;eaventie Di&s;|ciples; <HI>He that heareth you, heareth me, and he that de&s;pi&s;eth you, de&s;pi&s;eth me.</HI> La&s;tly, let it be con&s;idered, Whether <HI>Naaman</HI> could haue excu|&s;ed his not-wa&s;hing in <HI>Iordan</HI>
<NOTE N="q" PLACE="marg">2 King. 5.10</NOTE>, by &s;aying, He was commanded &s;o to doe by a me&s;&s;enger, and not by the Prophet <HI>Eli&s;ha;</HI> &s;eeing that, which the Me&s;&s;enger commanded, was the Word of God as well, as if <HI>Eli&s;ha</HI> had &s;poken it.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="6" UNIT="V&s;e"> If then Gods people are to &s;ay one to another, much more to their owne hearts, as did the people in <HI>Ezechiels</HI> time
<NOTE N="r" PLACE="marg">Ezek. 33.30.</NOTE>, (but with better mindes) Let vs goe, and <HI>heare what
<PB N="53" REF="33">is the Word that commeth from the Lord.</HI> When they goe to heare their Pa&s;tors, and Teachers, they mu&s;t not bring with them eares, either Anti|chri&s;tian to hearken after Doctrines &s;trange, or not grounded vpon the Word (For Chri&s;t his Sheepe know his voyce, and follow him
<NOTE N="&s;" PLACE="marg">Ioh. 10.4.</NOTE>: They know not the voyce of a &s;tranger, nor follow him) or itching
<NOTE N="t" PLACE="marg">2 Tim. 4.3.</NOTE>, to hear|ken after the enticing &s;peech of mans wi&s;edome
<NOTE N="u" PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 2.4.5.</NOTE>, as if their faith de|pendeth thereon: But let them be of <HI>Davids</HI> minde, who profe&s;&s;ed that he loued Gods Word
<NOTE N="x" PLACE="marg">P&s;. 116.113.</NOTE>, but hated vaine inventions. Much le&s;&s;e are they to be &s;o ob&s;tinate, and wicked, as to &s;ay, either in their hearts, or with their mouthes
<NOTE N="y" PLACE="marg">I&s;a 30.10.</NOTE>; Let not our <HI>Seers</HI> Pro|phecy right things, but errours, and flattering things.</P>
<P>Againe,
<MILESTONE N="7" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> if people mu&s;t come to Sermons with minds expecting one|ly Doctrine grounded vpon Gods Word, &s;uch as they mu&s;t beleeue,
<PB N="54" REF="34">and obey as the Word of God, then the Preacher mu&s;t be wi&s;e to &s;eeke out the wordes of truth
<NOTE N="z" PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ccle&s;. 12.9.<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">0.</NOTE>, and faith|full to Preach them as the wordes of God
<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Pet. 4 11.</NOTE>, that is, with all authoritie
<NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg">Tit. 2.15.</NOTE>, in the plaine evidence of the Spirit
<NOTE N="b" PLACE="marg">Cor. 2.4</NOTE>. For if any man Preach not according to the Word, what reading &s;oever he make &s;hew of, he hath no light in him
<NOTE N="c" PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 8.20.</NOTE>: And how&s;oever his affected humane eloquence be applauded by itching eares, yet he doth but make Merchandize of the Word of God
<NOTE N="d" PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 2.17.</NOTE>. Let Mini&s;ters therefore &s;peake (as God him&s;elfe admoni&s;heth
<NOTE N="e" PLACE="marg">Ier. 23.28.</NOTE>) the Word faithfully; For what is chaffe to the wheate?</P>
<P>La&s;tly;
<MILESTONE N="8" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> Whereas I haue &s;ayd that every one of the afore-mentioned grounds of religion is of that power|full truth, that if it be beleeved in|deed, it per&s;wadeth the beleever to make Con&s;cience of &s;inne, I mu&s;t make it good touching this ground, <HI>viz.</HI> There is a Word of God, to wit,
<PB N="55" REF="34">the Bible, to be beleeved. This is &s;oone done, both the&s;e Propo&s;itions being prooved; 1. Who&s;oever be|leeveth the Word, as the Word of God, maketh Con&s;cience of &s;inne; and 2. Who&s;oever maketh not Con|&s;cience of &s;inne, beleeveth not the Word, as the Word of God. Tou|ching the former. What other cau&s;e can be &s;uppo&s;ed why the Word was as a fire in <HI>Ieremy</HI>
<NOTE N="f" PLACE="marg">Ier. 20.7.9.10.</NOTE>, compelling him to &s;peak in the name of God, though in a &s;trong pa&s;&s;ion he had &s;aid, he would not, but that he verily belee|ved, that it was the Word of GOD which he was commanded to &s;peake, &amp; which co~manded him to &s;peake? The an&s;wer which <HI>Abraham</HI> gaue to the rich man in hell torments de&s;i|ring that <HI>Lazarus</HI> might be &s;ent vnto his brethren to prevent their tor|ments (<HI>viz.</HI>
<NOTE N="g" PLACE="marg">Luk. 16.2<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.28.29.</NOTE> <HI>They haue Mo&s;es, and the Prophets, let them heare them,</HI> that is, their doctrine) &s;heweth plainely, that who&s;oever heareth the words of
<PB N="56" REF="35">God as the Words of God, cannot but make con&s;cience of &s;inne: And <HI>Paul</HI> telleth the <HI>Romanes</HI>
<NOTE N="h" PLACE="marg">Rom. 6.17.</NOTE>, that how|&s;oever they had beene &s;ervants of &s;in, yet after they were delivered vnto the forme of doctrine, that is, heard the Word as the Word of God, they o|beyed that forme from the heart, that is, made con&s;cience of &s;inne. 2. That who&s;oever maketh not Con&s;cience of &s;inne, beleeveth not the Word to be the Word of God, what&s;oever he pretend, briefely thus appeareth. That wicked one who hath Gods Word in his mouth
<NOTE N="i" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 50.16.17.</NOTE>, and yet will not be reformed, is iudged by God him|&s;elfe to ca&s;t his words behinde him. The remnant of the people of <HI>Iudah,</HI> and their Chieftaines prayed <HI>Iere|miah</HI>
<NOTE N="k" PLACE="marg">Ier. 42.1.2.3 6.19.20.21.<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">.43.1.2.</NOTE> to enquire of God whether they might not fly into <HI>Egypt</HI> to &s;aue them&s;elues from the <HI>Caldeans,</HI> prote|&s;ting to obey the Word of God what|&s;oever it &s;hould be: Yet, when the VVord cro&s;&s;ed their purpo&s;e to fly
<PB N="57" REF="35">into <HI>Egypt,</HI> they would not beleeue it. And when the rich man in hell, fur|ther pre&s;&s;ed <HI>Abraham</HI> to &s;end <HI>Laza|rus,</HI> he had this further an&s;were;
<NOTE N="l" PLACE="marg">Luk. 16.3<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE> If they heare not (with Faith) <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> and the Prophets, neither will they be per&s;waded though one ri&s;e from the dead againe. Both the Propo&s;i|tions are confirmed by the&s;e wordes of Chri&s;t
<NOTE N="m" PLACE="marg">Ioh. 3.20.21.</NOTE>. <HI>He that doth evill hateth the light,</HI> that is, doth not beleeue the Word as the Word of God: <HI>But he that doth the truth commeth to the light, that his deedes might be made mani|fe&s;t, that they be wrought accor|ding to God.</HI> To whom be glory by all men in their obedience of FAITH. <HI>Amen.</HI></P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
