A Way to Zion Sought out and Found for Believers, Treatise · Objection 2
Objection.
Another Objection is grounded upon Heb. 8.11. and 1 John 2.20.27. They shall not teach every man his brother, and every man his neighbour, saying, The Objection from Heb. 8.11 and 1 John 2.20 27. That God alone shall teach and not man, answered.know the Lord, for they shall all know me, saith the Lord. And ye have an unction from the holy one, and ye know all things. And ye need not that any man teach you, but as the same anointing teacheth you, &c. Whence some argue, All the teaching of man shall cease; and God alone shall teach by his Spirit.
I answer first, to that in the Hebrews, It is in the new Covenant; which Covenant tooke place at the death of Christ, Heb. 8.6, 7. and 10 14-20. Now then, If it mean there shall be no teaching by man, as an instrument in Gods hand: Then it will follow, that all the time of the Apostles, who taught, and were but men, they disobeyed the Covenant, They shall not teach every man, &c. Yea, and they gave exhortations to disobey and breake the Covenant, 2 Tim. 4.2. and 2.2. But they obeyed God, as Peter maintaineth, Act. 4. and 5. Therefore it cannot meane, Man shall not teach as an instrument in Gods hand; for the words are, Ye shall all know me, and they shall be taught of God. Now God teacheth two wayes, Either immediately by himselfe alone, or mediately by meanes, Jer. 32.33. compared with 2 Chron. 36.15. Now the word doth not say, Ye shall be taught of God immediately without means. And he that is taught by a Messenger of Gods sending, is as truely taught of God, as he that is taught immediately.
2 It may meane. They shall not teach every man his Neighbour, Rom. 10.5. Deut. 27.26.and Brother, upon the old Testament terms, Doe, and live, Doe not, and dye; Cursed be every one that continueth not in all things written in the Law: for here is the new Covenant opposed to the old; and the enjoyments of the one against the other: They shall not now fright them to duty by threatnings; but draw them to it by a way of Love.
3 Therefore the meaning is, The teaching of man shal not be the chief or principal teaching or only teaching; But GODS. As divers Scriptures that run in the like phrases are to be taken, as I instanced before, Iohn 6.27. Labour not for the meat that perisheth, but for that that endureth; (i.e.) as Matthew expoundeth it, Chap. 6.33. Seek first the kingdome of God &c. Iohn 12 44. Ioel 2.13. Rent your hearts, and not your garments; why but renting of the Garment was used then; But not onelyonly, But your hearts also, Ier. 49 12. They whose judgement was NOT to drink… of the Cup, have drunk, and shalt thou escape? (e. i) They for whom it was not principally prepared; for they were to drink of it, else God would have prevented it, †Jer. 25.15, 16 17, 18-27. Rom. 5.12.1 Tim. 2.14. The man was NOT deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression; No, why another Scripture saith, By one man sinne entred into the world. But he meaneth the MAN was not first deceived, but the woman. So it meaneth here, Gods teaching is the chiefe, or principall teaching; that is, with a Covenant knowledge experimentally: They shall not onelyonly know me by the instructions and teachings of men to the eare; but by sweet feelings in their hearts. For saith he, prooving that they shall know him, Their sinnes and iniquities will I remember no more. So that he meaneth, They shall know my love, and goodnesse, and mercy, and pardon, and Covenant experimentally. For if he meant no man should teach as an Instrument; Then hee did ill to teach in this Epistle, but to have let them alone to Gods teaching onelyonly.
And so that in Iohn is to be understood, for he writeth to them, and saith, Ver. 26. These things have I written to you, concerning them that seduce you. And then Ver. 27. Ye need not that any man TEACH you, &c. why then he did that which was needlesse. But he meaneth, They having the Spirit…, need not rest onelyonly upon man; for they had that, that would try men and doctrines by; and yet he teacheth them to try the Spirits by rule 1 Iohn 4.1, 2, 3.