Exposition of the Laws of Moses, Exegesis 9 · Part 8
EXERCITAT. VIII. Of the neceſsity of the Word written.
Ioh. 20.31. But theſe are written that yee might beleeve.
GOd thought it neceſſary, after that he had taught his Church by Word; next to teach her by write. There is a twofold neceſſity. The firſt is called an abſolute neceſſity: the ſecond, of expedience. Againe,Neceſſitas abſoluta Neceſſitas expedientia Gods revealed will was neceſſary to all men, as a cauſe; but his written word was neceſſary as an inſtrumentall cauſe; and this word is conſidered eyther eſſentially,Scriptura eſt neceſſaria foreign verbum foreign. The word conſidered eſſentially or accidentally. Simile. or accidentally. Eſſentially for the written word: this written, and unwritten word, differ onelyonly as a man naked, and cloathed; for there is no change in the nature and ſubſtance here. And that we may the better underderſtand the neceſſity of the writing of the word, wee muſt diſtinguiſh here the ſtates of the Church. Firſt,The eſtate of the Church conſidered three wayes. ſhee was in a family or oeconomike. Secondly, ſhe was Nationall, diſperſed through the countrey of the Iewes. Thirdly, ſhe was Ecomenicall or Catholicke, diſperſed through the whole world. So long as ſhee was in a family, and the Patriarches lived long, to record to the poſterity, the word and the workes of God; then God taught his Church by his word unwritten. But when his Church began to be enlarged, firſt through Iudea, & then through the whole world, then he would have his word ſet downe in write;Why God would have his word written. becauſe then the Fathers were not of ſo long a life, to record to the poſterity, the word and the workes of God. Againe he did this to obviat the craft of the Divell, and the counterfeite writings of the falſe Apoſtles.
God revealeth himſelfe moſt ſurely to us by his word.It was neceſſary then, that the word ſhould be written, that the Church might have a greater certainety of their ſalvation. See how farre the Lord commendeth unto us, the certainety which wee have by the Scriptures; above all other ſort of revelation. 2 Pet. 1.19.foreign. We have alſo a more ſure word of propheſie: here the certainety of the Scriptures, is preferred to the tranſfiguration in the mount. Secondly, the Apoſtle Gal. 1.8. preferreth it to the revelation made by Angels, If an Angell ſhould come from heaven and teach any other Goſpel, let him be accurſed. Thirdly, Chriſt himſelfe preferred the certainety of it to Moyſes and the Prophets. If one ſhould come from the dead and teach us. Luk. 16.31.
The Church is not the laſt reſolution of our faith.The Church of Rome then doth great wrong to Chriſtians; when they would make the laſt ground and ſtay of Chriſtian faith, to be the Church onelyonly; But wee are built upon the foundation of the Prophets, and Apoſtles, Ephe. 2.20. the Lord when he dwelt betweene the Cherubims, he ſet the Candleſticke upon his right hand, and the table with the ſhewbread upon his left hand: to teach us, that the Scriptures are to be preferred ſtill to the teſtimony of the Church; and that wee muſt reſt upon their teſtimony primariò.
Queſt. Whether is it an Article of our faith, to beleeve that the Scriptures are the Word of God or not?
Anſ. Somethings de fide & de verbo fidej, ſomethings de verbo fidej, but not de fide primario, ſomethings neither de fide neither de verbo fidej.Some things are both de fide, & de verbo fidei; as Chriſt is Emmanuel. Secondly, ſomethings are de verbo fidei but not de fide primariò; as Paul left his cloake at Troas. Thirdly, ſomethings are de fide, but non de verbo fidei, which are the concluſions drawne from the canonicall word by conſequence. And theſe are eyther drawne from the word generally; as this, that the Scriptures are the word of God. for this is evident from the whole word generally, and although this be a principle in it ſelfe, which ought firſt to be beleeved; yet in my conception, and manner of taking up, it is a concluſion ariſing from that majeſty and Divine character which is in the word it ſelfe, or the particular concluſions drawne from the word. They are de fide, non de verbo fidei, as when a man concludeth, his owne particular juſtification from the word; as I Iames am juſtified, eſt de fide mea, and not a part of the canonicall word, but an application ariſing from it. Fourthly, ſomething are neyther de fides nor de verbo fidei.
Secondly, we may anſwer to this: whether the word written be an article of our faith or not.Articles of our faith, taken generally or ſpecially. The articles of our faith are eyther taken generally, or ſpecially: generally, for all that is contained in the Scriptures, or may be deduced by way of conſequence from the Scriptures: then it is not an article of our faith, to beleeve the canon of the Scriptures. Secondly, ſpecially for that which is contained in the Creede; for the Creede is the ſubſtance of that which is contained in the Scriptures; and then it is an article of our faith to beleeve the Cannon of the Scriptures.
The Scriptures of God, are conſidered eſſentially,The Scriptures conſidered eſſentially or accidentally. or accidentally. Eſſentially, as they proceede from God; accidentally againe, as they were written by ſuch and ſuch men. As they proceede from God, we muſt beleeve them to be true, and to be the meanes of our ſalvation; for ſaving truth is onelyonly from God. But if we conſider them but accidentally, as they are written by ſuch and ſuch men, then it is not an article of our faith to beleeve them; for it maketh not to our ſalvation primariò, to know that they were written by ſuch and ſuch men.
When the books in holy Scripture, carry the names of thoſe who wrote them; as the bookes of Moyſes carrie his name; if a man ſhould deny theſe bookes to be written by Moſes, & then be ignorant altogether of the matter contained in them; then his ignorance were damnable,Ignorantia damnabilis negatio haeretical. and the denyall of them hereticall; they have Moſes and the Prophets, Luk. 16.
But if the writer of the booke be not ſet downe in the Scripture; if a man ſhould deny ſuch a man to write it, he ſhould not be reputed as an hereticke for that;Negatia eſt haerètica per accidens ſed ignoratio non eſt damnabilis. and to be ignorant that ſuch a man wrote it, this were not damnable ignorance. Example, it is holden that Paul wrote the Epiſtle to the Hebrews; now if a man ſhould deny that Paul wrote this Epiſtle, he were not to be holden a hereticke for that, neyther were his ignorance damnable. A man may be ignorant of this or that booke, and yet be ſaved, and many were ſaved before the bookes were written, and now many are ſaved who cannot reade the Scriptures.
Ignorantia hic eſt infirmitatis & negatio eſt haeritica per accidens.But when a man doubteth of the order and number of the bookes in the Canon, this argueth but his unſkilfulneſſe and infirmity, and the denyall of the number and order of theſe bookes, is but hereticall by accident, and the ignorance is not damnable.
Queſt. When we beleeve ſuch a booke to be written by ſuch a man, whether beleeve we this by a juſtifying faith, or by an hiſtoricall faith?
Anſ. When we beleeve that ſuch a man wrote this booke, this is but an hiſtoricall faith, and this we have by the Church: but that which is dogmaticall in this booke, that we muſt beleeve out of the word it ſelfe; we being illuminate by the Spirit.
Concluſi.The concluſion of this is. Seeing God hath revealed his will in his word written to us, and remitted us alwayes to the law and to the teſtimony, Eſay 10.8. Ioh. 5.49. ſearch the Scriptures: therefore theſe who leave the Scriptures, and make choyſe of traditions; they forſake the fountaine of living water, and digge Ciſternes to themſelves that cannot hold no water, Ier. 2.13.