The Saints Everlasting Rest, Treatise 2 · Chapter 3
CHAP. III.
SECT. I.
§ 1.ANd here it is necessary that we first distinguish, betwixt 1. The subject matter of Scripture, or the doctrine which it contains; 2. And the words or writings containing or expressing this doctrine. The one is as the blood, the other as the veins in which it runs. Secondly, We must distinguish betwixt 1. the substantiall and fundamentall part of Scripture… doctrine, without which there is no salvation, and 2. the circumstantiall, and less necessary part, as Genealogies, Successions, Chronology, &c. Thirdly, Of the substantiall fundamentall part 1. Some may be known and proved even without Scripture, as being written in nature it self; 2. some can be known onelyonly by the assent of Faith to Divine Revelation. Fourthly, Of this last sort, 1. some things are above Reason (as it is without Divine Revelation) both in respect of their Probability, existence and futurity: 2. others may be known by meer Reason, without Divine Testimony, in regard of their Possibility and Probability; but not in regard of their existence or futurity.
Fifthly, Again matter of Doctrine must be distinguished from matter of fact.
Sixthly, Matter of fact is either 1. such as God produceth in an ordinary way: or 2. extrordinary and miraculous. Seventhly, History and Phophesie must be distinguished. Eighthly, We must distinguish also the books and writings themselves: 1. between the maine scope and those parts which express the chief contents, and 2. particular words and phrases, not expressing any substantialls. Ninthly, Also its one question 1. whether there be a certain number of books, which are Canonicall, or of Divine Authority? and 2. another question, what number there is of these? and which particular books they are? Tenthly, The direct expresse sense, must be distinguished from that which is only implyed or consequentiall. Eleventhly, We must distinguish Revelation unwriten from that which is writen. Twelfthly, and Lastly, We must distinguish that Scripture which was spoke or written by God immediatly, from that which was spoke or writ immediatly by man, and but mediatly by God. And of this last sort 1. Some of the instruments or penmen are known: 2. Some not known. Of those known 1. Some that spoke much in Scripture, were bad men: 3. others were godly. And of these some were 1. More eminent and extraordinary, as Prophets and Apostles, 2. Others were persons more inferiour and ordinary.
Again, as we must distinguish of Scripture, and Divine Testimony, so must we also distinguish the apprehension or Faith by which we do receive it.
1. There is a Divine Faith, when we take the Testimony to be Gods own, and so believe the thing testified as upon Gods word. Secondly▪ There is a Human Faith, when we believe it meerly upon the credit of man.
2. Faith is either first, implicit, when we believe the thing is true though we understand not what it is, or secondly, explicit, when we believe, and understand what we believe. Both these are again Divine or humane.
3. It is one thing to believe as Probable, another thing to believe it as certain.
4. Its one thing to believe it to be true conditionally, another to believe it absolutely.
5. We must distinguish betwixt the bare assent of the understanding to the truth of an Axiome, when it is only silenced by force of Argument (which will be stronger or weaker as the Argument seemeth more or lesse demonstrative) and secondly, that deep apprehension and firme assent which proceedeth from a well stablished, confirmed Faith, backed by experience.
6. Its one thing to assent to the truth of the Axiome, another to taste and chuse the good contained in it, which is the work of the Will.
SECT. II.
§ 2.The word Foundation being a Metaphor is to be banished dispute till first explained.THe Use I shall make of these distinctions, is to open the way to these following Positions, which will resolve the great Questions on foot, How far the belief of the Written Word is of necessity to salvation? and Whether it be the foundation of our faith? And whether this foundation have been always the same?
Pos. 1. The Object of belief Is the will of God revealed; or a Divine Testimony; where two things are absolutely necessary; first, The Matter: secondly, The Revelation. 2. All this Revealed Will is necessary aAd benè esse & fidei perfectionem.to the compleating of our faith; bNecessitate praecepti.and it is our duty to believe it. But its onelyonly the substance and tenor of the Covenants, and the things necessarily supposed to the knowing and keeping of the Covenant of Grace, which are of absolute necessity to the beeing of Faith, and to Salvation. A man may be saved though he should not believe many things, which yet he is bound by God to believe. 3. Yet this must be onelyonly through ignorance of the Divineness of the Testimony: For a flat unbelief of the smallest truth, when we know the Testimony to be of God, will not stand with the beeing of true Faith, nor with Salvation. For Reason layes this ground [That God can speak nothing but Truth] and Faith proceeds upon that supposition. 4. This Doctrine so absolutely necessary hath not been ever from the beginning the same, but hath differed according to the different Covenants and Administrations. That Doctrine which is now so necessary, was not so before the Fall: And that which is so necessary since the coming of Christ, was not so before his coming. Then they might be saved in believing in the Messiah to come of the seed of David: but now its of necessity to believe, that this Jesus the Son of Mary is He, and that we look not for another. I prove it thus. That which is not revealed can be no object for Faith, much less so necessary: But Christ was not Revealed before the Fall; nor this Jesus Revealed to be He before his coming, therefore these were not of necessity to be believed, or (as some Metaphorically speak) they were then to fundamentall Doctrines. Perhaps also some things will be found of absolute necessity to us, which are not so to Indians and Turks. 5. God hath made this substance of Scripture-Doctrine to be thus necessary *Primario & propter se Secundario & propter aliud.primarily and for it self. 6. That it be revealed is also of absolute necessity; but secondarily, and for the Doctrines sake, as a means without which Believing is neither possible nor a duty. And though where there is no Revelation. Faith is not necessary as a duty; yet it may be necessary (I think) as a means, that is, our natural misery may be such as can no other way be cured (but this concerns not us that have heard of Christ) 7. Nature, Creatures, and Providence, are no sufficient Revelation of this tenor of the Covenants. 8. It is necessary not onelyonly that this Doctrine be Revealed, but also that it be Revealed with Grounds or Arguments rationally sufficient to evince the verity of the Doctrine or the Divineness of the Testimony, that from it we may conclude the former. 9. The Revelation of Truth is to be considered in respect of the first immediate delivery from God, or secondly, in respect of the way of its coming down to us. It is delivered by God immediatly either by writing, (as the two Tables) or by informing Angels (who may be his Messengers) or by inspiring some choise particular men; So that few in the world have received it from God at the first hand. 10. The only ways of Revelation that (for ought I know) are now left, are Scripture and Tradition: For though God hath not tied himself from Revelations by the Spirit, yet he hath ceased them, and perfected his Scripture Revelations; so that the Spirit onelyonly Reveales what is Revealed already in the Word; by illuminating us to understand it. 11. The more immediate the Revelation, caeteris paribus, the more sure: and the more succession of hands it passeth through, the more uncertain, especially in matter of Doctrine. 12. When we receive from men by Tradition the Doctrine of God as in the Words of God, there is less danger of corruption, then when they deliver us that Doctrine in their own words, because here taking liberty to vary the expressions▪ it will represent the Truth more uncertainly and in more various shapes. 13. Therefore hath God been pleased when he ceased immediate Revelation, to leave his Will written in a form of words, which should be his standing Law, and a Rule to try all other mens expressions by. 14. In all the forementioned respects therefore the written Word doth excell the unwritten Tradition of the same Doctrine. 15. Yet unwritten Tradition, or any sure way of Revealing this Doctrine, may suffice to save him who thereby is brought to believe. As if there be any among the Aba…sines of Ethiopia, the Coplies in Egypt, or elsewhere that have the substance of the Covenants delivered them by unwritten Tradition, or by other Writings, if hereby they come to believe, they shall be saved. For so the Promise of the Gospel runs, giving salvation to all that believe, by what means soever they were brought to it. The like may be said of true Believers in those parts of the Church of Rome, where the Scripture is wholly hid from the vulgar (if there be any such parts.) 16. Yet where the written Word is wanting, salvation must needs be more difficult and more rare, and Faith more feeble, and mens conversations worse ordered, because they want that clearer Revelation, that surer Rule of Faith and Life, which might make the way of salvation more easie. 17. When Tradition ariseth no higher, or cometh originally but from this written Word, and not from the verbal Testimonies of the Apostles before the Word was written, there that Tradition is but the preaching of the Word, and not a distinct way of Revealing. 18. Such is most of the Tradition (for ought I can learn) that is now afoot in the world, for matter of Doctrine, but not for matter of fact. 17. Therefore the Scriptures are not onelyonly necessary to the well-beeing of the Church, and to the strength of Faith, but [ordinarily] to the very beeing of Faith and Churches. 20. Not that the present Possession of Scripture is of absolute necessity to the present beeing of a Church: not that it is so absolute necessary to every mans salvation, that he read or knew this Scripture himself: But that it either be at present, or have been formerly in the Church: that some knowing it, may teach it to others, is of absolute necessity to most persons and Churches, and necessary to the well-beeing of all. 21. Though negative unbelief of the authority of Scripture may stand with salvation, yet positive and universal (I think) cannot. Or, though Tradition may save where Scripture is not known, yet he that reads or hears the Scripture, and will not believe it to be the Testimony of God, (I think) cannot be saved, because this is now the clearest and surest Revelation: And he that will not believe it, will muchless believe a Revelation more uncertain and obscure. 22. Though all Scripture be of Divine Authority, yet he that believeth but some one Book, which containeth the substance of the Doctrine of salvation, may be saved: much more they that have doubted but of some particular Books. 23. They that take the Scripture to be but the Writings of godly honest men, and so to be only a means of making known Christ, having a gradual precedency to the Writings of other godly men; and do believe in Christ upon those strong grounds which are drawn from his Doctrine, Miracles, &c. rather then upon the Testimony of the Writing, as being purely infallible and Divine, may yet have a Divine and saving faith. 24. Much more those that believe the whole Writing to be of Divine inspiration where it handleth the substance, but doubt whether God infallibly guided them in every circumstance. 25. And yet more those that believe that the Spirit did guide the Writers to Truth, both in Substance and Circumstance, but doubt whether he guided them in Orthography; or whether their Pens were as perfectly guided as their minds? 26. And yet more may those have saving Faith, who onelyonly doubt whether Providence infallibly guided any Transcribers, or Printers, as to retain any Copy that perfectly agreeth with the Autograph. 27. Yet do all these (in my judgment) cast away a singular prop to their faith, and lay it open to dangerous assaults, and doubt of that which is a certain truth. 28. As the Translations are no further Scripture, then they agree with the Copies in the Original Tongues; so neither are those Copies further then they agree with the Autographs, or Original Copies, or with some Copies perused and approved by the Apostles. 29. Yet is there not the like necessity of having the Autographs to try the Transcripts by, as there is of having the Original Transcripts to try the Translations by. For there is an impossibility that any Translation should perfectly express the sense of the Original: But there is a possibility, probability, and facility of true Transcribing, and grounds to prove it true de facto, as we shall touch anon. 30. That part which was written by the Finger of God; as also the substance of Doctrine through the whole Scriptures, are so purely Divine, that they have not in them any thing humane. 31. The next to these are the words that were spoken by the mouth of Christ, and then those that were spoken by Angels, 32. The Circumstantials are many of them so Divine, as yet they have in them something Humane, as the bringing of Pauls Cloak and Parchments, and (as it seems) his counsel about Marriage, &c. 33. Much more is there something Humane in the Method and Phrase, which is not so immediatly Divine as the Doctrine. 34. Yet is there nothing sinfully Humane, and therefore nothing false in all. 35. But an innocent imperfection there is in the Method and Phrase, which if we deny, we must renounce most of our Logick and Rhetorick. 36. Yet was this imperfect way (at that time, all things considered) the fittest way to divulge the Gospel: That is the best Language which is best suited to the Hearers, and not that which is best simply in it self, and supposeth that understanding in the Hearers which they have not. Therefore it was Wisdom and Mercy to fit the Scripture to the capacity of all: Yet will it not therefore follow that all Preachers at all times should as much neglect Definition, Distinction, Syllogisme, &c. as Scripture doth. 37. Some Doctrinal passages in Scripture are onelyonly Historically related, and therefore the relating them is no asserting them for truth; and therefore those sentences may be false, and yet not the Scripture false: yea, some falshoods are written by way of reproving them, as Gehezies Lye, Sauls Excuse, &c. 38. Every Doctrine that is thus related onelyonly Historically, is therefore of doubtful credit, because it is not a Divine assertion (except Christ himself were the Speaker:) and therefore it is to be tried by the rest of the Scripture. 39. Where ordinary men were the Speakers, the credit of such Doctrines is the more doubtful, and yet much more when the Speakers were wicked: of the former sort are the Speeches of Jobs friends, and divers others: of the later sort are the Speeches of the Pharisees, &c. and perhaps Gamaliels counsel, Act. 5.34, 40. Yet where God doth testifie his Inspiration, or Approbation, the Doctrine is of Divine Authority, though the Speaker be wicked: As in Balaams Prophesie.A facto ad jus ad licitum vel debitum non valet Argum. 41. The like may be said of matter of Fact; for it is not either necessary or lawful to speak such words, or do such actions meerly because men in Scripture did so speak or do, no, not though they were the best Saints; for their own speeches or actions are to be judged by the Law, and therefore are no part of the Law themselves. And as they are evil where they cross the Law (as Josephs swearing, the Ancients Polygamy, &c.) so are they doubtful where their congruence with the Law is doubtful. 42. But here is one most observable exception. (conducing much to resolve the great doubt, whether Examples binde?) Where men are designed by God to such an Office, and act by Commission, and with a promise of Direction, their Doctrines are of Divine Authority, though we finde not where God did dictate, and their Actions done by that Commission are currant and Exemplary, so far as they are intended or performed for Example, and so Example may be equivalent to a Law, and the Argument, a facto ad jus, may hold. So Moses being appointed to the forming of the old Church and Commonwealth of the Jews, to the building of the Tabernacle, &c. his Precepts and Examples in these works, (though we could not finde his particular direction) are to be taken as Divine. So also the Apostles having Commission to Form and Order the Gospel Churches, their Doctrine and Examples therein, are by their general Commission warranted, and their practice in stablishing the Lords Day, in setling the Officers and Orders of Churches, are to us as Laws, (still binding with those limitations as Positives onelyonly, which give way to greater▪) 43. The ground of this Position is, because it is inconsistent with the Wisdom and Faithfulness of God, to send men to a work, and promise to be with them, and yet to forsake them, and suffer them to err in the building of that House, which must indure till the end of the world. 44. Yet if any of these Commissioners do err in their own particular conversations, or in matters without the extent of their Commission,As Peter, Gal. 2.11, 12.13. this may consist with the faithfulness of God; God hath not promised them infallibility and perfection: the disgrace is their own: but if they should miscarry in that wherein they are sent to be a rule to others, the Church would then have an imperfect Rule, and the dishonor would redound to God. 45. Yet I finde not that ever God authorized any meere man to be a Lawgiver to the Church in Substantials, but onelyonly to deliver the Laws which he had given, to Interpret them, and to determine Circumstantials not by him determined. 46. Where God owneth mens Doctrines and Examples by Miracles, they are to be taken as infallibly Divine: much more when Commission, Promise, and Miracles do concur, which confirmeth the Apostles Examples for currant. 47. So that if any of the …ings or Prophets▪ had given Laws, and formed the Church as Moses, they had not been binding, because without the said Commission: or if any other Minister of the Gospel shall by Word or Action arrogate an Apostolical priviledg. 48. There is no verity about God, or the chief happiness of man written in Nature, but it is to be found written in Scriptures. 49. So that the same thing may in these several respects, be the object both of Knowledg and of Faith. 50. The Scripture being so perfect a Transcript of the law of Nature or Reason, is much more to be credited in its supernatural Revelations. 51. The probability of most things, and the possibility of all things contained in the Scriptures, may well be discerned by Reason it self, which makes their Existence or Futurity the more easie to be believed. 52. Yet before this Existence or Futurity of any thing beyond the reach of Reason can be soundly believed, the Testimony must be known to be truly Divine. 53. Yet a belief of Scripture Doctrine as probable, doth usually go before a belief of certainty, and is a good preparative thereto. 54. The direct, express sense, must be believed directly and absolutely, as infallible, and the consequences (where they may be clearly and certainly raised:) but where there is danger of erring in raising consequences, the assent can be but weak and conditional. 55. A Consequence raised from Scripture being no part of the immediate sense, cannot be called any part of Scripture. 56. Where one of the premises is in Nature, and the other onelyonly in Scripture, there the Conclusion is mixt, partly known, and partly believed. That it is the Consequence of those premises, is known; but that it is a Truth, is, as I said, apprehended by a mixt Act. Such is, a Christians concluding himself to be justified and sanctified, &c. 57. Where through weakness we are unable to discern the Consequences, there is enough in the express direct sense for salvation. 58. Where the sense is not unstood, there the belief can be but implicit. 59. Where the sense is partly understood, but with some doubting, the Belief can be but conditionally explicit: that is, we believe it, if it be the sense of the Word. 60. Fundamentals must be believed Explicitly and Absolutely.