Exposition of the Laws of Moses, Exegesis 9 · Part 9
EXERCITAT. IX. Arguments proving the Scriptures to bee Divine.
1 Theſſ. 2.13. Yee received it not as the Word of man, but as it is in truth the Word of God.
THe Teſtimonies which prove the Scriptures to be Divine, are firſt, the Teſtimonie of God himſelfe when he approved them by his Spirit, and when they were laid before him, by Vrim and Thummim. Secondly, arguments drawne out of the Scriptures themſelves. Thirdly, the Teſtimonie of the Church. Fourthly, the Teſtimonie of thoſe who were without the Church, Deus teſtatur, Scriptura conteſtatur, & Eccleſia ſubteſtatur.
Deus teſtatur.God beareth witneſſe to the Scriptures two wayes, Firſt, by the internall Teſtimony of his Spirit. Secondly, by his externall Teſtimony.
When the Spirit teſtifieth unto us ſuch Bookes to be his Word, Queſt. whether is this a publike or a private Teſtimony?
This is a publike Teſtimony, Anſ. which the Spirit Teſtifieth to the whole Church, and to the ſeverall members of it, that theſe Bookes are holy Scripture: for the ſame Spirit which endited the Scriptures to the Church, teſtifieth ſtill to the Church, and to the particular members thereof; that the Scriptures are the Word of God.
The ſecond Teſtimony which God gave to the Scriptures, was his externall teſtimony given by Vrim and Thummim, teſtifying theſe Bookes of Moyſes and the Prophets, to be the holy Scriptures.
What are we to thinke of theſe Bookes, Queſt. written and ſet in order after the captivitie, ſeeing they had not the approbation of the Lord by Vrim and Thummim?
Anſw. Theſe Bookes were called Ketubhim, written Bookes,foreign to put a difference betweene them, and theſe Bookes which were confirmed by Vrim and Thummim: they who wrote theſe Bookes were inſpired by the holy Ghoſt as well as theſe who wrote the former; and they were confirmed by the maſters of the great Synagogue,foreign aradice ſuch as were Eſdras Zacharie and Malachie. The Greekes called theſe Bookes foreign:foreign abſcondere. and the Iewes diſtinguiſh them ſtill,foreign. frō the Apocryphall Bookes called Gannazim abſcinditi, and the Greekes called them foreign, Bookes of whoſe authority it was ſtill doubted.
Reaſon. 1 Reaſons taken out of the Scriptures themſelves proving them to be Divine; the firſt reaſon is taken from the antiquity of the Scriptures:Scriptura conteſtatur. all this time was tempus foreign to the heathen, that is, it was an hid or an unknowne time to them. After the flood, the Scriptures goe on, and they ſet downe to us the hiſtory of the Church:Tempus foreign foreign Hiſtoricum. but the Heathen hiſtory is Tempus foreign, or fabuloſum; as that which we reade of Hercules, and Prometheus: and nothing is ſet downe in the Heathen hiſtory before the Olympiads of the Graecians, which was but in the dayes of Vzziah. See how farre Gods Word exceedeth humane hiſtory, in antiquity; It beginneth with the world and endeth with it, Luk. 1.70. as he ſpake by the mouth of his holy Prophets, which have beene ſince the world began.
Reaſon. 2 Secondly, the matter contained in the Scriptures ſheweth them to be Divine. Many hiſtories ſhew us the heavy wrath of God upon man for ſinne; yet the Scriptures only ſhew us morbum, medicinam, & medicum, it ſheweth us both the ſickneſſe, the phyſicke, and the Phyſitian to cure it.
Reaſon. 3 The Scriptures not written to ſatisfie mens curioſity.Thirdly, the Scripture ſetteth downe things neceſſary onelyonly for our ſalvation, and nothing for our curioſity. It is often repeated in the Bookes of the Kings and Chronicles. The reſt are they not written in the Bookes of the Chronicles, of the Kings of Iuda and Iſrael, So Eſter. 10.2. The reſt are they not written in the Bookes of the Kings of Perſia. The holy Ghoſt would meete here with the curious deſires of men, who deſire ſtill to know more and more, and to reade pleaſant diſcourſes, to ſatisfie their humours: as if the Spirit of God ſhould ſay; I have ſufficiently told you here of the Kings of Iuda and Iſrael, and of Perſia, and ſo farre as concerneth the Church, and may ſerve for your edification: it is not my manner to ſatisfie your curioſitie, if ye would know more, go to your owne Scrowles and Regiſters; where yee ſhall finde matter enough to paſſe the time with. To bee ſhort, the Scriptures are not given to paſſe the time with, but to redeeme the time.
Reaſon. 4 Fourthly, the propheſies ſet downe in the holy Scriptures ſhew them to be Divine, for they diſtinguiſh the Lord from all the Idols of the Gentiles, and the Divels themſelves, Eſa. 41.22. Let them ſhew the former things what they be, that we may conſider them and ſet our hearts upon them: Renunciare proeterita anunciare preſentia p. anunciare futura.and ſhew us the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that yee are Gods. Here the Prophet diſtinguiſheth the true God from the falſe Gods, and true propheſies from falſe: If they could tell of things by-paſt, and relate them from the beginning and joyne them with the things to come; then he would confeſſe that they were Gods, and that their propheſies were true. To tell of things paſt is not in reſpect of time; for the Angels and Divels can tell things fallen out from the beginning of time: but it is in reſpect of the things themſelves, when they tooke beginning, & this is onelyonly proper to God, Pſal. 139.16. In thy Booke all my members were written, which in continuance were faſhioned, when as yet there were none of them. Hee can joyne things by-paſt with things that are to follow; and can tell certainely of things to come. There is a twofold beginning of things. The firſt is, exordium rei: The ſecond is, exordium temporis. Exordium temporis rei.The Angels know exordium temporis, but not exordium rei; for the Lord onelyonly knoweth things before the foundation of the world was laid, Ephe. 1.4. He who knoweth certainely the beginning of things, can onelyonly certainely fortell the event of things, as though they were preſent, Hoſ. 12.4. hee wept and made ſupplication to him: he found him in Bethel, and there he ſpake with us. Here the thing paſt, he applyeth to the generation which was preſent, becauſe hee knew exordium rei.
Reaſon. 5 The plaine, and cleare manner of ſetting downe the Scriptures, ſheweth them to be Divine, Eſa. 8.1. Take a great roule, and write in it with a mans pen, Behheret enoſh. foreignThat is cleerely, that the ſimpleſt amongſt the children of men may underſtand it, Deut. 30.11. This commandement which I command thee this day, is not hidden from thee, neyther is it farre off: In the Hebrew it is, Lo niphleeth, non ſeparatum a te, foreignthat is, it is not ſeparated from thy knowledge, that thou cannot underſtand it: and it is not farre from thee, for theſe things which are obſcure and doubtfull which we cannot take up, are ſayd to be farre from us; theſe things which wee underſtand againe are ſayd to be neare us, Rom. 10.8.
Ob. But it may be ſayd that there are many things hard in the Scriptures, and cannot well be taken up.
Anſ. We muſt diſtinguiſh theſe three, the obſcurity in the things themſelves,Obſcuritas eſt vel…n rebus ipſis. modo tradendi. conceptione. the perſpicuity in the midſts as they are ſet downe, and thirdly, the dulneſſe of our conception to take them up. There are many matters handled in the Scripture, which are hard to be underſtood, and we are dull in conception to take up theſe things; yet they are clearely and plainely ſet downe in the word. Chriſt ſheweth all theſe three, Ioh. 3.12. If I have told you earthly things, and yee beleeve not: how ſhall yee beleeve if I tell you of heavenly things. If I have told you earthly things, that is, illuſtrated heavenly things to you by earthly compariſons; here is Chriſts plaine manner in ſetting downe his word. And yee beleeve not; here is our dulneſſe in taking up theſe things which are plainely ſet downe. How ſhall yee beleeve if I ſhall tell you of heavenly things, here is the obſcurity of the heavenly matters contained in the Scriptures. The Church of Rome confoundeth ſtill theſe three, Obſcuritas rei, & noſtri conceptus, cum perſpicuo modo tradendi, the obſcurity in the matter the dulneſſe of our conception, with the cleare manner of manifeſtation of theſe things in the Scriptures.
Reaſon. 6 The Heavenly conſent and agreement, amongſt the writers of the holy Scriptures, ſheweth them to be Divine.The agreement of the writers of the holy Scriptures. There were in the Church Patriarches Prophets and Apoſtles: Amongſt the Patriarches, Abraham was the cheefe; therefore the revelations made to the reſt of the Patriarches, as to Iſaack and to Iacob, had alwayes relation, to the promiſes made to Abraham. Amongſt the Prophets Moyſes was the cheefe, and therefore all the Prophets grounded themſelves upon Moyſes. And upon the revelations made to the Apoſtles, the faith of the Church is grounded, under the New Teſtament: and yee ſhall never finde any contradictions amongſt theſe holy writers; there may ſeeme ſome contradiction amongſt them, but indeed there is none. Epiphanius uſeth a good compariſon to this purpoſe: when a man, ſaith he,Simile. is drawing water out of a deepe Well with two Veſſels of a different metall; the water at the firſt ſeemeth to be of a different colour; but when he draweth up the Veſſels nearer to him,Although there ſeeme ſome contradiction in the Scriptures, we ſhould labour to reconcile them. this diverſity of colours vaniſheth, and the waters appeare both of one colour, and when we taſte them, they have but one reliſh. So ſaith he, although at the firſt, there ſeeme ſome contradiction in the holy Scriptures, yet when we looke nearer and nearer unto them, wee ſhall finde no contrarietie in them, but a perfect harmonie. When we ſee the Heathen hiſtory, or Apocryphall Bookes contradicting the holy Hiſtory, wee ſhould ſtand for the holy Scriptures againſt them: but when wee ſee any appearance of contradiction in the Scriptures, we ſhould labour to reconcile them: when Moyſes ſaw an Aegyptian and an Iſraelite ſtriving together; he killed the Aegyptian, and ſaved the Iſraelite, Exod. 2.12. But when be ſaw two Iſraelits ſtriving together, he laboured to reconcile them, ſaying, yee are brethren why doe yee ſtrive. So when we ſee the Apocryphall Bookes, or heathen Hiſtory, to contradict the Scriptures, we ſhould kill the Aegyptian and ſave the Iſraelite. Example, Iacob curſed Simeon and Levi, for murthering of the Sichemites, Gen. 49.7. but Iudith bleſſed Simeon for killing of them, Iudith 9. So Ieremiah ſaith, they ſhall returne in the third generation, Ier. 27.7. but Baruch ſaith, they ſhall returne in the ſeventh generation Baruch, 6. here let us kill the Aegyptian but ſave the Iſraelite: but when wee ſee any appearance of contradiction in the holy Scriptures, wee ſhould labour to reconcile them, becauſe they are brethren.
Reaſon. 7 The heavenly order ſet downe in the Scriptures ſhoweth them to be divine; there is in the Scriptures, Ordo naturae, Ordo naturae. conjugalis thori. hiſtoriae. dignitatis.Ordo conjugalis thori, Ordo hiſtoriae, & Ordo dignitatis; all theſe the Scriptures marke, and for ſundry reaſons ſetteth one before another: and although there be not prius & poſterius in Scriptura (as the Iewes ſay) in reſpect of the particular occaſions, yet there is ſtill prius & poſterius in reſpect of the generall end of the hiſtory. Firſt, in ſetting downe the Patriarches, it obſerveth ordinem naturae, as they were borne; as Ruben in the firſt place, becauſe he was the firſt borne; and then Simeon, thirdly Levi, and fourthly Iudah, &c. Secondly,The Tribes are ſet downe ſometimes according to their nativity, and ſometimes as they were borne of free women. there is Ordo conjugalis thori, according to their birthes, and ſo the free womens ſonnes, are ſet firſt in the Breſtplace of Aaron, Exod. 28. Thirdly, there is Ordo dignitatis, as Sem is placed before Iaphet for dignitie, although he was younger. So the Scripture elſe where obſerveth this order, Matth. 13. He bringeth fourth new and old, & Ephe. 2. Apoſtles and Prophets. So the Scripture obſerveth the order of hiſtory, Matth. 1.1. The Booke of the generation of Ieſus Chriſt, the Sonne of David the Sonne of Abraham. why is Abraham put laſt after David? becauſe the hiſtory is to begin at him. So 1 Chro. 3.5. Salomon is placed laſt amongſt his brethren, becauſe the hiſtory was to begin at him: and if we ſhall marke the heavenly order that is amongſt the Evangeliſts,The heavenly order amongſt the Evangeliſts …hew the Scriptures to be Divine. they will ſhow us that the Scriptures are divine. Marke beginneth at the workes of Chriſt. Matthew aſcendeth higher, to the birth of Chriſt. Luke goeth higher, to the conception of Chriſt, and Iohn goeth higheſt of all, to the divinity of Chriſt and his eternall generation. Who would not admire here, the ſteps of Iacobs heavenly ladder, aſcended from Ioſeph to Adam, and from Adam to God.
Reaſon. 8 The matter contained in the Scriptures, ſhewes them to be divine, and to make a wonderfull change in man, which no other booke can doe, Iam. 4.6. The ſpirit in us luſteth after envie, yet the Scriptures offer more grace, The Scriptures offer grace to reſiſt ſinne.that is, the Scriptures offer grace and ability to doe more, then nature can doe: Nature cannot heale a Spirit, that luſteth after envie, or after money or after uncleaneſſe; but the Scriptures offer more grace to overcome any of theſe ſinnes, be they never ſo ſtrong. The Law of the Lord is perfect converting the ſoule, Pſal. 19.17. when it is dead in ſinne, it quickneth and reviveth it againe; and when it is decayed in grace,The Word of God is a reſtorer of the ſpirituall life. it reſtoreth it againe, even as Boaz is ſayd to be a reſtorer of the life of Naomi, and a nuriſher of her old age, Ruth 4.15.
Reaſon. 9 The rebukes and threatnings of the holy Ghoſt in the Scriptures, fall never to the ground in vaine, but take alwayes effect, when people ſtand out againſt them. And as Ionathans bow did never turne backe, and the Sword of Saul never returned empty, 2 Sam. 1.22. So the Arrowes of the King are ſharpe to pierce his enemies, Pſal 45.5.
Reaſon. 10 Ioh. 10.35. The Scriptures cannot be broken, the arguments ſet downe in the Scripture, are ſo ſtrong; that all the heretickes in the world could never breake them, and they ſtand like a braſen wall againſt all oppoſitions; therefore the Lord challengeth men to bring forth their ſtrongeſt reaſons. Eſa. 41.21. produce your cauſe ſaith the Lord, bring forth your ſtrong reaſons ſaith the King of Iacob.
Eccleſia ſubteſtatur.The Church is the Pillar of Truth, ſhee holdeth out the Truth to be ſeene, ſhee expoundeth and interpreteth the Scriptures; yet her teſtimony in but an inducing teſtimony, and not a perſwading teſtimony: ſhee can teach the Truth, but ſhee cannot ſeale up the truth in our hearts, and make us to beleeve the Truth of the Scripture.Actus exercitus. ſignatus. Her teſtimony is but in actu exercito, but non ſignato. Her teſtimony is informativum, ſen directivum, it informeth and directeth us, ſed non certificativum & terminativum fidei; that is, ſhee cannot perſwade us of the Truth by her Teſtimony.
Teſtimonies of theſe alſo, who are without the Church prove the Scriptures to be Divine, and theſe are of two ſorts; eyther Heretickes, or Infidels.
Hereticks prove the Scripture to be Divine, ex accidente.Firſt, the teſtimonies of Heretickes prove the Scriptures to be Divine; for Heretickes labour alwayes to ground themſelves upon the Scriptures. The habite goeth alwayes before the privation, & omne falſum innititur vero, every falſhood laboureth to cover it ſelfe under the Truth. When the Husbandman had ſowne his good ſeede, then came the evill one and did ſow his Tares: when Heretickes labour to ground themſelves upon the Scriptures; it is, as when a theefe goeth to cover himſelfe under the pretence of Law. This argueth the Law to be juſt and equall. The teſtimonies alſo of the Heathen hiſtory proveth the Scriptures to be Divine. Obſerve the diſcent of the Babylonian and Aſſyrian Kings, and looke backe againe to the holy Scriptures: yee ſhall ſee clearely, how they jumpe with the Scriptures: and as thoſe who ſayle along the Coaſt, have a pleaſant view of the Land;Simile. but thoſe who ſtand upon the Land, and behold the Shippes ſayling along the Coaſt,Succeſsion of Heathen Kings proved out of the Scripture. have a more ſetled and pleaſant ſight of the Shippes: ſo when we looke from the Heathen hiſtory, and marke the diſcent of the Heathen Kings, wee ſhall ſee a pleaſant ſight: but a farre more delectable and ſure ſight, when we looke from the Scriptures, to the Heathen hiſtory. Marke the diſcent; Belochus the third called Pul King of Aſſyria came againſt Menahem, and tooke his ſonne, 2 King. 15. Then Pileſer called Tiglath, came againſt Hoſhea, King of Samaria, and tooke him in the ſixt yeare of the reigne of King Ezekias▪ and then Shalmanefer, who caried away the ten Tribes into captivity, in the ninth yeare of Hoſhea, 2 King. 17. and his ſonne Sennacherib, 2 King. 18. came againſt Iuda, in the foureteenth yeare of Zedekias, and Eſarhaddon ſucceeded his father Sennacherib, and his ſonne Berodach-baladon, ſent letters and a preſent to Hezekias, then Berodach, 2 Chro. 33. caried away Iechonias, and then Nebuchadnezzer caried away Zedekias; then Nabuchadnezzer the great, burnt Ieruſalem, and caried away the people captive. Then Evil Merodach, who ſucceeded him had three ſonnes, Ragaſar, Babaſar and Belſhaſſar, of whom we reade Dan. 5. and in Belſhaſſers time, the kingdome was tranſlated to the Medes and Perſians. Here we ſee the deſcent of the Heathen hiſtory, agreeing with the holy Scriptures.
There are other teſtimonies of the Heathen,How the Heathen teſtimonies prove the Scriptures to be divine. to prove the Scripture to be Scripture, but not ſo clearely; when we finde the rubbiſh of ſome old monuments, wee gather that there hath beene ſome great building there: So when we finde ſome darke footeſteps of holy Scripture amongſt the Heathen, we may gather, that once the holy Scriptures have beene read amongſt them, although they have depraved and corrupted them.
M…ntan. in his Eſſayes.Example 1. They of the Eaſt Indians have this fable amongſt them, that the Gods drowned the world for ſinne, and that they tooke ſome juſt men, and put them up in the clifts of Rockes, to ſave them: thoſe men to try whether the waters were abated or not; ſent forth ſome maſtive Dogges, and the Dogges returning as cleane as they went out; they gathered by this, that the waters were not yet abated: they ſent them forth the ſecond time, then they returned full of mudde, by this they gathered that the waters were abated: then they ſent them forth the third time and they returned no more. Here we ſee how this fable is taken out of the hiſtory of the deluge, and from Noahs ſending forth the Dove out of the Arke; and that this hiſtory was knowne of old amongſt the Heathen, we may perceive becauſe the Dove and the Raven are called the meſſengers of the Gods, by the Heathen Poets.
foreignExample 2. Gen. 36.24. This is Anah who found out Hajemim mules, in the Wilderneſſe, others reade it Iamin… waters:foreign now becauſe it was hard to finde out the right tranſlation of the word, ſome tranſlating it Mules, and ſome tranſlating it Water: the Heathen made up a notable lye on the Iewes, ſaying; when Anah was feeding his Aſſes in the Wilderneſſe, becauſe the Mules and Aſſes found out water in the Wilderneſſe for them to drinke,Tacitus. lib. 5. Plutarch. in ſympoſiaſis. 4. cap. 5. therefore the Iewes worſhipped the golden head of an Aſſe: ſee how ſome ſhaddow of holy hiſtory was ſtill amongſt the Heathen.
Example 3. When the deſtroying Angell deſtroyed the firſt borne of their children, & beaſts in Aegypt, the Lord cauſed to ſprinkle the blood of the paſchall Lamb, upon the Lintels of the doores, that ſo their firſt borne might be ſaved,Epipha. contra haerefes. lib. 18. Exod. 12.13. Epiphanius recordeth that the Egyptians afterwards, although they had forgotten the hiſtory of the worke of God, yet they rub'd over their Cattell with a red ſort of Keill, to ſave them that no evill ſhould befall them that yeare, ignorantly counterfeitting that blood, which ſaved the Iſraelites once in Egypt: which fable letteth us to underſtand, that this Scripture was once taught amongſt them.
Example 4. Plato did hold that in the revolution of ſo many yeares, men ſhould be juſt in the ſame eſtate, wherein they were before; which is drawne obſcurely from the reſurrection, when we ſhall be in foreign, as we were in foreign Matth. 19.28.
Example 5. Clemens Alexandrinus and Baſill note,The Heathen grounded many of their fables upon the Scriptures. that the Heathen Philoſophers did make their fables, counterfeitting the Scriptures; and founded their falſehoods upon the truth of God, that men might give credit to their lies: as upon this, Ionas was ſwallowed up by the Whale; they made up this fable of Arion, ſitting upon a Delphin, and playing upon an harpe, and a thouſand ſuch.
The Concluſion of this is. Concluſion. Seeing the Scriptures are Divine, we muſt pray with David, Pſal. 119.18. open thou mine eyes, that I may behold the wondrous things out of thy Law in the originall it is,foreign Devolue ab oculis meis velamen, ſcilicet, caliginis, and let us be diligent ſearchers and dwell in them, as Paul biddeth Timothy, foreign Panormitan writeth of Alphonſus King of Arragon, that in the midſt of all his princely affayres, hee read over the Bible fourteene times, with the gloſſe and commentaries upon it. The Iewes ſay, let a man divide his life in three parts; a third part for the Scriptures, a third part for miſhneth, and a third part for gemara, foreignthat is, two for the Talmud, and one for the Scriptures, ſee how well they were exerciſed in reading of the Law.