The Sovereign Judge of Controversies in Matters of Religion, Chapter 10
CHAP. 10.
The verification of the second meanes of Nullity against the the second allegation.
WITH as little reason do they accuse the Scripture of obscurity: for if they speake of the matter handled in the Scriptures,How the Scripture is obscure. truly it surmounteth humaine sense and vnderstanding in what manner soever it bee considered, either as it is proposed in the Scripture, or published in the Church, it being altogether impossible to proue it by demonstrations, or to sette it downe by way of conclusions, and principles as in other sciences: But this obscurity is easily resolued by the light of the spirit, which wanting in the heart, it is no more possible to judge of the truth, whether it be considered as written & delivered in the Scripture, or heard, as preached by the Church, thē it's possible for a blind man to judge of colours, and of the light of the sunne: or a foolish and madde man of true wisdome. Whence it appeareth, that it is not the sentence of an externall Iudge which can order this rebellion of humaine vnderstanding against the trueth of God, seing question is made, of convincing the conscience which is the proper worke of God leading by the force of his spirit every thought captiue vnderunder the obedience of Christ. 2. Cor. 10. 5.As neither it is the authoritie of the earthly Iudge in civill causes, which canne conuince the partie in his conscience, but the acknowledgement and feeling that hee hath in his soule, of the equity and justice of the sentence, of the which as long as it remaineth vnknowne vntounto him hee cannot bee satisfied, though hee may bee constrained externally to obey it.
In matter therefore of Religion, when men goe not about to constraine,What kind of Iudge requisite for the Church. but to perswade, not to stoppe the mouth by violence, but to convince the heart; no question is to be made in this case of hauing an externall Iudge determining by definitiue sentence, but rather of an internall Doctor perswading the heart.Iohn 6. 44. For no man comes to mee (saith our Saviour) except the Father draw him, alleaging to this purpose the Scripture speaking of the Prophets, and saying that they shall bee all taught of God. Isaiah 54. 1….But if they speake not of the obscurity of the matter which is handled in the Scripture, but of that of the phrase and manner of speaking and of that of the wordes vsed by the holy spirit in expressing of it, without doubt they accuse the holy spirit eyther of inability, or vnwillingnesse to expresse himselfe intelligibly. But neither the one nor the other canne bee sayd of him, without detracting either from his wisdome, or his goodnes. Certainly that law of which Dauid speaketh which he magnifieth so much, for it's light that he calleth it a lanthorne to his feete, Psal. 119. v. 105. Psal. 19.and a light vntounto his path, making wise the simple, was a written law, was the Scripture, which giueth by this reckoning vnderstanding not only to the Prophets and great ones, but also to the most simple and ignorant, this was the Scripture of which the Apostle speaketh when he sayth that whatsoeuer things hauehave beene written afore time hauehave beene written for our learning: Rom. 15. 4.and therefore by the same reason clearely & plainely, there being no greater enemy to learning then obscurity. It was the Scripture which he termed to be giuen by inspiration of God, 2. Tim. 1. 19.and profitable to teach and instruct; how can this be if it be obscure? likewise he sayth, that Timothy had knowne the holy Scriptures from his child hood nay foreign from his very infancie. do we vse to reade darke, obscure authors vntounto little children? It was the Scripture which the Apostle Saint Peter calleth a light that shineth in a darke place. 2. Pet. 1. 19.And what difference is there betweene darknesse and light, a lanthorne and obscurity? And to be breife, it was the scripture, the reading of which hath beene so much recommended, by the Ancient Fathers; namely, by Saint Chrysostome whose exhortation so patheticall and pithy,Chris…st. he…. 3. de Laz. so often reiterated and inculcated shew plainly that this abuse of not reading the Scriptures, vnderunder a colour of their obscurity, did long agoe in his time begin to creepe into the Church, but was neither receiued nor approued by it as now it is.
And here it may be some will say vntounto vsus that it cannot be denyed,Obiection for the obscurity of the Scripture. Answere. but the Scripture is obscure, otherwise to what end serue so many cōmentaries, homelies, and sermons? But the answere is very easie that we deny not that the Scripture is in many places very obscure, God hauing so ordained it of his infinite wisdome, for to beate downe the presumption of man, and to rouse vp his lazinesse to a holy studie, and diligent reading of it; as S… Augustine hath very well observed. But wee say with the same Father, That in those things that are most plainly sette downe in the Scripture are contained all things which concerne faith and good manners. For as touching what is over, and aboue that, the whole militant Church were it vnited in one, were not able to expound all the obscure places in the Scripture, otherwise she would not hauehave beene, so vncharitable as not to hauehave taken care to hauehave furnished her children with an ample and authenticke conmentary, which might make all the Scripture cleare and without obscurity; And as touching preaching and commentaries, they serue not alwayes to illustrate, and explaine, but oftentimes to delate and amplifie, and when they do illustrate, they do it not by any light borrowed elsewhere then from the Scripture itselfe, interpreting the Scriptures by the Scriptures themselues following therein the Councell of the Fathers, and the practice of the Levites, of whom it is written that they did read in the booke of the law of God expounding it, Nehem. 8. 8.and rendring the true sense of it, causing it to be vnderstood by the Scripture. So that we way iudge of the sense of that which is obscure, by the sense of that which is cleare, & likewise discerne whether the interpretatiō be agreable to the place of the Scriptures, by that which goeth before, and followeth after, whereas in a place that is difficult, to speake properly, when the interpretation of it is given cannot be receiued but vponupon credit, and with relation to the authority of the interpretors, because in such a case wee cannot see the correspondence that is betweene the Text and the commentary, the words and the sense, which cānot be said of good & whole some interpretation of the Scripture which therefore ought not to bee condemned of obscurity.