The Shepherds Wanderings Discovered, Chapter 4
CHAP. IV. Wherein the fifth, and part of the ſixth page is examined: and the firſt propoſition is ſcann'd, and opened, viz. That the Scriptures doe as well belong to the people, as the Preachers.
THe firſt propoſition is, That that the Scriptures doe as wel "belong to the people, as to the Preachers.
This point the Gentleman, firſt proves. Secondly, cleares from objections.
1. He proves it (he ſhould have done well to have opened it firſt.) Thoſe two terms, 1. Belong. 2. As well as, are not cleare. We may ſay, the government of the City belongs to the people of it; but how? quoad exercitium actus? as to the exerciſe of the acts of government. Are the keys of government theirs? no ſure. Then farewell Magiſtracy, and welcome Levelling. But it belongs to them as it is for their good, and peace, and order, as that under which, and according to the rule of which they are to live.
If this Gentleman means by belonging, what the Apoſtle ſaith, 1 Tim. 3.16. That the Scriptures are profitable for all, for doctrine, for reproofe, for correction, for inſtruction in righteouſneſſe. That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furniſhed unto all good workes. God forbid but we ſhould grant it; and this belonging is proved by Deut. 29.29. and Ioh. 5.39. and Iude 3. and many other places.
But if this Genleman means, that they ſhould belong to them as the keyes to the Steward, to open and apply them to the people, he both contradicts himſelfe, for he tels us in other places of this book, That they cannot expound and apply Scriptures authoritatively; and he contradicts the Apoſtle too, 1 Cor. 4.2.Myſterium diſtribuimus in verbum Dei & Sacramenta. P. Martyr ad loc. Let a man ſo account of us, as of the Miniſters of Ieſus Chriſt, and Stewards of the myſteries of God. Of which myſteries the Goſpell is one, Col. 1.16. And if he doth not meane, that the Scriptures thus belong to the people
1. He ſayes nothing to the purpoſe.
2: His ſecond objection is little worth (of which more by and by) for ſuppoſe we argue thus: If the Scriptures be for the peoples uſe, and belong to them for reproofe, correction, doctrine, inſtruction in righteouſneſſe, then the people may expound and preach them publiquely.
He ſayes: They are committed to Preachers, and yet not ſo as excluding the people,— But The Preachers are eſpecially,Natura enim omnes jubet mutuò eſſe cuſtodes ac defenſores ſalutis noſtrae & alienae, maxime veri fratres. Pareus. Immo quod tibi frater eſt & proximus, ideo es illius cuſtos & tibi illius ſalus eſt a deo commendata. P. Martyr. and by publique office, and the duty of their place to take care of them; but this hinders not, but that every Chriſtian is by duty bound in generall to take care of the ſoules of his fellow Chriſtians, and ſo of the truth.
We eaſily grant that private Chriſtians are in the generall bound by the Law of God and nature to take a private care of their brethrens ſoules and bodies; and of the truth, ſo farre as to keep it in their own hearts, and propagate it in their own families; yea and to admoniſh, reprove, and exhort one another: to watch over them, if ſtanding: if any brother be fallen through infirmity, to endeavour to reſtore him in the ſpirit of meekneſſe. But (Sir) they are not to take a publique care of, nor are they put in a publique truſt concerning their brethrene ſoules. Neither are the Scriptures committed to them to teach others. Quicquid enim ingenio humano ex cogitatum aſſuitur Scripturae ut pro divinitus revelato habeatur mendacium eſt. Pareus in Apoc. c. 22.1 Tim. 2.2.
What the word of God doth not ſay in reference to the Ordinances and worſhip of God, that we muſt not ſay. For if we doe we ſhall adde to the Scriptures. God muſt order every pin in the Tabernacle.
But the word of God no where ſaies, that the people have the glorious Goſpel of God committed to their truſt, to teach others out of it, as 1 Tim. 1.11. 1 Tim. 6.20. 2 Tim. 2.2. and therefore we muſt not ſay, the people have it committed to them. The Scripture warrants no ſuch ſpeech, it is not the language of Canaan. And ſo (Sir) in point of publique truſt they are excluded, as much as a Commiſſion to his Excellency to be Lord Deputy of Ireland, excludes others from being ſo, though it be not ſaid ſo (in the letter) in the Commiſſion. In point of uſe indeed the people are every where included, but they are no where called Stewards, &c.
And (Sir) for your diſtinction between committed, and ſo committed, it is Apocryphall. The Scripture no where ſayes, they are at all committed to them. You muſt remember (Sir) your own marginall note which you give, as p. 29. Ʋbi lex non diſtinguit, non eſt diſtinguendum.
But to juſtifie what you ſay, you tell us that it is committed to the people; for, In 1 Tim. 3.15. the Apoſtle ſaies, That the whole Church, not the Preachers onelyonly, is the pillar and ground of truth.
Any one may ſee a Non ſequitur (without ſpectacles) in the Argument. And the Gentlemans proofes will none of them prove this, nor any thing like unto it.
In the next place he comes to cleare his point from two Objections. He frames one from Revel. 2. Where the Epiſtles are directed to the Angels. To this he anſwers: 1. The Angels are taken collectively for the whole Churches, as Exod. 4.2. Iſrael my ſonne. 2. He ſayes, It is clearly expreſſed, Revel. 2.7. He that hath an eare to beare let him beare what the Spirit ſayes to the Churches. To which I anſwer.
Though I ſhould never have made this objection, but think there is very little ſtrength in it, and the Gentleman onelyonly brought it forth to try his skill about it, yet I conceive his anſwer is too ſhort in it: and ſeeing the argument is weake, it is charity for diſputation ſake to take its part.
1. It will hardly be proved, that Angel is taken any where collectively; that Iſrael is, is plain enough from more places then one. The term Angel, I take it, is ſcarce found but to ſignifie an Angel by nature, or by office. Now it is abſurd to ſay, that all the people in a Church are ſent, and in office: which is the appellative ſignification of the term.
To his ſecond anſwer.
2. The Spirit ſpake to the Churches. Although the Epiſtles were not directed immediately to all the members, doubtleſſe they were directed to their Officers for their uſe. And thus the holy Ghoſt ſpeaks to us in ſpeaking to the Jews of old: and to the Jews, and Chriſtians in the new Teſtament. Elſe neither the Scriptures of the Old, nor the New Teſtament belong to us.
He frames a ſecond Objection, p. 5.
Ob. The Scriptures are committed to the truſt and care of Preachers in Office. 1 Tim. 1.11. 6 20. 2 Tim. 2.14.3.14. Tit. 1.3.
The bringing of this objection makes me think, he underſtood by [as well) that the Scriptures did equally belong to people as Preachers, and are alike committed to them. For if this objection oppoſeth the doctrine, he muſt mean by belonging, a belonging to them as the Lords Truſtees and Commiſſioners in the Goſpel. And then his poſition is falſe, and theſe Scriptures which he here quotes unanſwerably prove it ſo. Yet he pretends to anſwer.
Sir, As to that text, 1 Tim. 3.15. it is a very diſputable text, who the Apoſtle calls there, the pillar and ground of truth, is not ſo well agreed, as you preſume. Some refer it to Timothy. Mr. Calvin ſaith,V. Deodate ad loc. Ʋ. Leigh ad loc. Calv. ad loc. Ʋ. Leigh ib. Engl. Annot. Elogium hoc ad miniſterium verbi pertinet. That it is to be applied to the miniſtry of the Word. Others underſtand it of the living God, who is indeed the pillar and ground of truth. So Cameron, and others.) To bar either of theſe interpretations, you have nothing but the poor credit of a comma or two; and thoſe that knew any thing, know that the Originall copies generally are both without ſtops and diſtinction of verſes. For my own part, I ſhould underſtand it of the living God, and ſupply foreign, [who is] and then your proofe failes.
But admit it be the Church, it is gratis dictum, and not proved, that by Church he mean all the individuall members. The Papiſts generally contend, that the Church is there called the pillar and ground of truth; and thence Bellarmine and Eſtius, V. Eſtium ad loc. V. Calv ad loc. Beza ad loc.and others conclude it cannot erre. It is alſo diſputed, whether it be meant of the Church Ʋniverſall or particular. Proteſtants maintain it of the Church Ʋniverſall. And doubtleſſe if it be to be underſtood of the Church at all, it muſt be of the Church Ʋniverſall, and not of every individuall member of that. And then it is to be conſidered in what ſence the Church is the pillar and ground of truth; and it is concluded, that the Church is the pillar of truth, becauſe in that truth is to be found. As Proclamations hang upon pillars, ſo the Church is the Pillar of truth; but (Sir) you prove nothing, if you doe not prove that the Individuall members of the Church are ſpeaking pillars, which will be an hard task for you. Indeed they ſhould be pillars of truth, to beare the Law of the Lord upon their hearts and converſations. And they are, as you ſay, from Iude 3. to contend for the faith. But the queſtion is, whether God hath committed the doctrine of faith to them to preach? No ſuch thing is proved from that text in Timothy, nor that in Iude neither. And in earneſt (Sir) if every gifted brother be to be a pillar of truth, truth hath loſt its uniformity. Many of them have been pillars upon which the divell hath hung all the errors and blaſphemies of former times; not one of many a pillar of truth.
In ſhort, I ſhall diſpatch your firſt propoſition granting you, that the Scriptures belong to all, to be exerciſed in them, to ſearch and examine them, and their own hearts by them; to read in them, and meditate in them day and night. But they doe not belong to all to preach them publikely.