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any catalogue you can produce. Behold the labyrinth of uncertainties you run yourselves into, who go from that heavenly gift in yourselves, by which the holy fcriptures are truly difcerned, relifhed, and diftinguished from the inventions and abufes of men!

8. Farthermore, if the fcriptures were the rule of faith and life, &c. then, because they cannot be the rule in their translations, fuppofing the ancient copies were exact, it cannot be the rule to far the greatest part of mankind; indeed to none but learned men: which neither answers the promise relating to gospeltimes, which is univerfal; nor the neceffity of all mankind for a rule of faith and life.

9. That the fcriptures are not the rule of faith and life, is proved from thofe voluminous difcourfes of cafes of confcience that are extant among us: for had the fcriptures been as fufficient as the nature of the rule of faith and life requireth, there had been no need of fuch tracts: every man might have read his own condition laid down in fcripture, without those numerous fupplements. Do not your own language and practice prove its infufficiency to that end, at what time you both exhort to, and go in fecret to feek, the mind of the Lord in this or that important affair? Why do not you turn to chapter and verfe for fatiffaction, if the fcripture be appointed of God for the general rule? Strange! that what is fo common in the mouths of all forts, viz. "God direct you," (which implieth infpiration and revelation, or immediate counfel or guiding from God) should not be known, much less acknowledged by you in our writings; but difdained with fuch fcaring epithets, as enthusiasm, familifin, fanaticifm, Quakerifm, &c. In fhort, there are a thousand cafes, and not a few occurring almost daily, in which the fcripture cannot be our plain and diftinct rule and guide: yet has not God left himself without a witnefs in any bofom; for his GRACE," that

1 There is not laid down in scripture any general rule how to answer before magiftrates; and to act in times of Sufferings.

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brings falvation, has appeared unto all men, teaching them that believe in it, to deny ungodliness and worldly lufts, and to live foberly, righteously, and "godly in this prefent world." And Chrift Jefus, the Eternal Word, has for that end lighted every man coming into the world, viz. to discover, reprove, and inftruct about faith and practice. But it may be, and is objected by fome:

Obj. If this law and light in the confcience had been enough, what need had their been of Scripture?

Anfw. The fame argument will hold against God, Christ, his Spirit and grace; all which are fufficient, notwithstanding the ufe and benefit of fcripture. The cafe was this: Man's mind being eftranged from the light and spirit, through its wanderings after visible and perishing things; and inafmuch as the light became thereby veiled from him, the Spirit as it were quenched, and the law defaced, God, in peculiar mercy to the Jews, according to his covenant with faithful Abraham, fuperadded, or repeated (as Urfin terms it) the law inward, by a declaration of it outwardly; that both God might not be without an outward witnefs, as well as an inward (they having fo much loft the feeling thereof); and likewife more deeply to strike their minds by their fenfes (into which their minds were gone) and to meet them abroad, where they were roving and wandering from the law and light within.

As it is great vanity and weakness to infer infufficiency to the light, froin the imbecility and darkness that are in men; fo is it, from God's fuperadding fcripture, and other external affiftances, to men in that state; fince their blindness is occafioned through their rebellion to the law and light within. What! would fuch have God, his light, and Spirit, appear to, and converfe with, people's outward fenfes? That cannot

John i. 9. Titus ii. 11, 12.

be:

be: the one is fpiritual, and the other too carnal for any fuch thing Or are they infufficient, because they converfe with men through these exterior things, fuited to that weak state? Or tell me if the moft confiderable part of fcripture be any more than the declared knowledge and experience of fuch as were come to a more improved ftate in the teachings of that light and fpirit; which is therefore given forth, that others loitering behind might be stirred up, and the more prevailed with to follow them, as they had followed the Lord in the light of his fpirit? Certainly, it can never be that scripture fhould impeach the light of infufficiency, when that very fcripture is but the mind and teachings of the divine light in others, declared or recorded. Does the declaration jar with, or make weak, that from whence it came? Or because of God's condefcenfion for a time to external mediums, shall they turn the light and spirit out of the office of rule and judge? Or is it to lay down inftituted religion, as fome ignorantly talk, to prefs after that which was before, and ends those temporary things? The law outward, as a rule, was but as Mofes, till the Son came. "The fervant abideth not in the house for ever." The written law held its place but till the inward arose in more glory and brightness; or rather, till people became more capable of being turned to it, and living with and in it. "In those days" faith the Lord, "I will "write my law in their hearts,""&c. They who fay otherwife of fcripture, do pervert and abufe it; for there is nothing more clearly laid down in it, from beginning to end, than the rule and reign of the fpirit. "My kingdom," faid Chrift, "is not of this "world." Again, "The kingdom of God is with« in. I will write my law in their hearts, and place

my fear in their inward parts. All thy children "fhall be taught of the Lord, and in righteousness "fhall they be eftablished. I will pour out of my

Ifa, liv. 13. • John xviii. 36.

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fpirit on all flesh. The grace of God that brings "falvation, hath appeared to all men, teaching," &c.

Obj. But if the law engraven and delivered to Mofes, was a rule to the Jews, why should not the law delivered by Chrift, and written by the apostles, be the rule to Chriftians?

Anfw. Chrift left nothing in writing for the rule of faith and practice that we hear of; and it is not to be thought that he was lefs faithful in his house than Mofes and doubtless, had he intended the rule of his followers to have been a written rule, he would have left it upon record with all punctuality: this must be believed, and that done, on pain of eternal death. Nor did his followers write in the method of a rule, as the law was written; nor did they fo call or recommend what they writ.

But this leads me to my eighth reason why the scriptures cannot be the rule under the New covenant, &c. for admitting the law written by Mofes were the rule (a rule, I grant it was) to the Jew outward, yet Chrift, the Spiritual leader of a spiritual Ifrael, writeth his Spiritual law in the heart; as Mofes, the outward Ifrael's leader, writ the law upon tables of stone. This was God's promife, and the privilege and bleffing of the new covenant, that as the outward Jew had an outward law for a directory, the inward few fhould have an inward law for his directory and as the outward Jew had an outward priest, at whose mouth he ought to feek the law; fo the Jew inward, and circumcifion in fpirit, has an inward and spiritual High Priest, whofe lips preferve knowledge; at whose mouth he is to receive the law of life. And this is his rule, even he who is the Ruler of his people Ifrael, who reigneth in righteoufnefs, and of whofe heavenly government there fhall be no end. The

Joel ii. 28.

VOL. I.

Mal. ii. 7. Heb. vii. 24,

9 Tit. ii. 11, 12.
25, 26, 27. Ifa. ix. 6, 7.
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king,

king, ruler, judge, law-giver, high priest, law, rule, temple, are all spiritual; fo the fcriptures inform us; "My kingdom," faid Chrift, "is not of this world." Again, "The kingdom of God is within. I will

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"write my law in their hearts, and place my fear in "their inward parts. They fhall be all taught of "me; and in righteoufnefs fhall they be established. "The tabernacle of God is with man; he will dwell "with them. I will pour out my fpirit upon all "flesh. The grace of God hath appeared unto all men, teaching, &c. A measure of the spirit is given to all men to profit withal. The infpiration "of the Almighty giveth understanding. Whatfo<c ever may be known of God is manifeft within. "Walk in the fpirit. If ye walk in the light, &c. "Come, let us walk in the light of the Lord. And "there needed neither fun nor moon to fhine; for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb was the "light thereof. As many as walk according to this "rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the "Ifrael of God," &c. (b) What rule? Not that of the old legal creation, which then paffed away; but the rule of the xan xrious or new creation, as it may be

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• Luke xvii. 20, 21. Heb. viii. 10. Rev. xxi. 3. Joel ii. 28. Tit. ii. 11, 12. Job xxxii. 8. Rom. i. 19. Gal. v. 16. 1 John i. 7. Ifa. ii. Rev. xxi, 23. Gal. vi. 15, 16.

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(b) Galat. vi. 16. 7 navove TTW, in this rule; as it is tranf lated, Phil. iii. 16. which was spoken of the measure of attainment and Grotius faith in the manuscript, rule is not; fo it must be understood, let us walk in the fame attainment;" as alfo in 2 Cor. x. 13. 15. in which three places that word is only found: See Erafmus, Vatablus, Zegerus, Cameron, Jac. Capellus and Grotius, on thofe places, none whereof can be drawn to the fcriptures. Zegerus interprets this place of Gal. vi. 16. thus, they that have followed this form of life, or rule of the new creature, having turned away from the invalid ceremonies of the law, peace, &c.' Drufius explains it from chap. v. 6. the new creation. • Faith • which worketh by love.' Grotius faith, rule here is a way made as to a rule that is plainly right; fuch is that way of the new creation, which was foretold, Ifa. xlii. 9. and fignifies the state of • the new man,' of which Paul speaks, Col. iii. 10. Eph. ii, 15. Rom. vi. 4.

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