Gods Effectual Calling, Treatise · Chapter 11
CHAP. XI. Of the third propertie of the ſacred Scripture, whereof ariſeth the fift controuerſie.
THE third propertie of the ſacred Scripture is this, It is moſt *Simpliciſſimaplaine and pure, whether ye reſpect words or phraſe: neither hath it any ambiguitie or doubtfulneſſe in it. This property differs frō the former herein, for that whereas perſpicuitie extendes it ſelfe, and concernes words and matter; this ſimplicitie or plainneſſe (as I may ſo ſpeake) is of words only. This we auouch then, that the ſacred Scripture is of it ſelfe moſt ſingle and plaine, voide of all ambiguitie, and Circumlocution by ſpeech.Amphibologie, or that it contayneth nothing doubtfull in one place, which is not expreſſed in another, if there be any obſcuritie in it. For the word of the Lord and his ſpirit be euer ſingle and ſincere; neither doth God at any time ſpeake to catch men with ambiguous and doubtfull ſpeeches, as doe Diuels and Sophiſters; but to teach men his holy truth. For the ſpirit of truth leadeth vsus into all truth, Io. 16. 13. And the Scripture is giuen of God by inſpiration, & is the very word of God, as is before ſhewed: Wherefore if we will not offer God extreame iniurie, we muſt neceſſarily graunt, that the Scripture in it ſelf is moſt plaine, and *If the ſcriptures ſeeme doubtful, condemne thine owne ſinne and corruption.ſimple in ſenſe and ſignification. I ſay, the Scripture in it ſelfe is plaine, as touching the ſenſe: for if there be any ambiguitie in any words of ſcripture, that diuerſitie or darkneſſe may not be imputed to the Scripture, but to the blindnes and ignorance of men, euen of ſuch alſo which do not of any euil purpoſe of hart peruert the Scripture. For there be many which impiouſly wreſt the ſame to the one ſide and the other; when as they know right well notwithſtanding, the ſenſe of the ſame Scripture is onelyonly one, plaine and euident. To approue this plaineneſſe and ſimplicitie of the Scriptures, firſt the Son of God himſelfe, in his diſputations againſt Sathan and all his aduerſaries, borroweth hence his weapons, by his owne example recommending the ſacred ſcriptures to all men. Next after him the Apoſtles, and their ſucceſſors, and the Fathers themſelues hauehave drawen their arguments from the ſacred ſcriptures againſt Heretickes, both for confirmation of truth and confutation of error.
The aduerſaries here contend againſt this property of the ſacred ſcripture, and they hold that that is doubtfull, ambiguous, and blaſphemouſly report, that it hath a noſe A lutae inſtar.of waxe, and may be turned here and there: For which cauſe they affirme it is the book of Heretiques, & that of it ſpring hereſies, and that al men ſeeke to maintaine their errors by it. But theſe blaſphemies are eaſily anſwered, by that which is before ſhewed. For this ambignitie, and flexibleneſſe is not to be imputed to the ſcripture, which is giuen of God by diuine inſpiration, and ſerueth vsus in ſteede of Gods owne voice: but muſt be aſcribed either to the ignorance or malice, or malapertneſſe of men, who either cannot apprehend the ſimple & true ſenſe of ſcripture, or malitiouſlie peruert and turne the ſame into a ſtrange ſenſe.
Here they obiect, that the ſcripture is full of tropes, allegories, Ob.parables, words of diuers ſignifications, amphibologicall ſentences, viſions; all which hauehave their ambiguity. I anſwer, that this matter may the better be cleered, we are to looke a little more ſoundly into it. The A.ambiguity which is contrarie vntounto ſimplicity, being in the words and not in the matter: for the words are ambiguous, and not the matter: Let vsus reduce all ambiguity 5. Principall heads.which is in the words, vntounto 5. principall heads. For firſt there bee ſimple or common words of diuers acceptations: ſecondlie, there bee tropicall or figuratiue words: thirdly, there be whole ſpeeches or ſentences, which carry a doubtfull ſignification: fourthly, there be allegorical ſpeeches conſiſting of the continuation of tropes: fiftly, there be alſo typicall words and ſentences concerning types and figures.
Of all theſe, this I ſay generally; that in all ſuch places the holy Ghoſt hath but one only ſimple ſenſe and meaning. For as touching words of diuers ſignifications, if any ſuch words be found in ſcripture in the originals, Hebrue and Greeke (as that can not be otherwiſe, but there muſt be ſuch in the ſcriptures) firſt I ſay that ſuch words hauehave but one ſignification only in ſuch places, and that the holy Ghoſt purpoſeth and intendeth, but one thing by them. For the holy Ghoſt deſireth not to vſe any fallacion or ſophiſtication. Next I anſwer, that wee may deprehend that one ſignification, and that one plaine How to vnderſtand a doubtfull worde, Phraſe or ſentence in ſcripture.meaning of the word (we deſire to finde) either by the drift of the holy Ghoſt in that place or text, where any ſuch word is; or by conference of other places of Scripture, where the like worde is to be found; or by other Scriptures, expreſſing the ſame ſenſe and matter in other words; or by obſeruation of Grammaticall accidents, accents, points or pricks, and ſuch like. And where we find tropes and words borowed and drawn from their proper and natiue ſignification in any text of ſcripture, I ſay that there ſuch words are vſed by ye holy ghoſt, purpoſely to expreſſe in a more ſignificant and liuely manner, but one ſenſe and meaning. As where it is ſaide (this is my body) by the Metonymie, which is in the word body, the ſpirit ſpeaketh more ſignificantly, then if he had ſaid; This is a ſigne of my body: For by that metonymicall phraſe, the holy Ghoſt plainly auoucheth the ſacramentall vnion, which is of the ſigne and of the thing ſignified. Next I ſay, if the trope ſeeme ſomewhat obſcure and ſtrange, that ye may finde the ſignification of the ſame trope by a word of proper ſignification, either in the ſame ſcripture, or in ſome other ſcripture, where the like trope may be found.
If ye meet in ſcripture with a ſentence ſeeming ambiguous, A ſentence in ſcripture ſeeming ambiguousfirſt be wel aſſured that Gods ſpirit doth not purpoſely ſpeake doubtfully, as ſophiſters do, but hath euer one ſingle and plaine meaning: but men doe both giuegive and receiue an euill conſtruction of the context, either ignorantly or malitiouſly. Next, I ſay, that other places of ſcripture do more cleerly ſet forth the ſelfe ſame matter: Finally; if you find allegories in ſcripture, of them this I affirme, that firſt they ſerue for illuſtratiō: next, that they hauehave but one ſignification or ſenſe: and the ſame is either manifeſt and needeth no further expoſition, or if it be obſcure, it is more cleerly expreſſed ſome where elſe in the ſcripture. And as for ſcriptures concerning types, I ſay of them alſo firſt, that they hauehave but one ſignification, and A typicall ſpeech in ſcripture.ſignify types only, and not alſo the matters ſignified by them: next, that one very ſenſe of the types is applyed to ſignify another thing, that is, the body it ſelf: for the types themſelues cary in them the ſignification of the things ſignified, and ſhadowed by the types, and not the words themſelues which are vſed to ſet forth the types: for in that hiſtorie recorded, Gal. 4. this name Sarah ſignifieth Abrahams wife, that is, the type only: next the type ſignifieth the couenant, that is, the thing ſhadowed, figured, and ſignified by the type. And thus farre of the third property and fift controuerſie.