strained to practise against conscience, lose all conscience afterwards. Bags and vessels overstrained break, and will never after hold anything. Yet do I not deny all compulsion to the hearing of God's word, as the means to work religion, and common to all of all sorts, good and bad; much less excuse civil disobedience palliated with religious shows, and pretences; or condemn convenient restraint of public idolatry, so as this rule of reason holds its place, viz., that the bond between magistrate, and subject is essentially civil; but religious accidentally only, though eminently.* For conclusion of this matter, let the godly magistrate consider, that as there is no churchstate and profession so truly Christian, and good, in which too many may not be found carried in their persons with a spirit plainly antichristian; so there is hardly any sect so antichristian or evil otherwise, in church profession, in which there are not divers truly, though weakly led, with the Spirit of Christ in their persons, and so true members of his mystical body. With whom to deal rigorously for some few aberrations of ignorance, or infirmity, were more to please Christ's enemy in the oppressing of the person, than Christ, in so repressing his failing in some particulars, specially if they be not fundamental.

As then the Christian magistrate hath his power of magistracy from God, which his Christianity serves to sanctify, and direct: so, undoubtedly, he is to use it for God, and his honour, and that in his true worship, in which he is specially honoured, and against the contrary; yet with these two cautions:-First, That as the greater sins of other kinds, do not so violate and dissolve the marriage-bond, as adultery doth, by reason of its direct opposition thereagainst: so neither do idolatry, or heresy, how great sins soever in themselves, so outlaw a subject civilly, as do seditions, murders, adulteries, and the like directly violating, and disturbing civil societies. The second is, That no authority of man may bring into, or uphold in the Church either doctrine, or ordinance of religion, or person, which last is not lightly to be regarded, seeing the other two serve for it, unto which the Lord in his Word hath not first given testimony of approbation for

* Keckerman.

that use: seeing magistrates are not governors against, nor besides, but under God, in their dominions.

CHAPTER VIII.

OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES.

THE holy Scriptures are that Divine instrument, and means, by which we are taught to believe what we ought, touching God, and ourselves, and all creatures; and how to please God in all things, unto eternal life. I speak of believing things, seeing faith comes by hearing: for else, we know things touching God by that which we see, feel, and discern, in and by his works. We are led to the knowledge of God in his power, wisdom, goodness, justice, and mercy, by his works both without, and within us; and whensoever God either doth, or suffers a thing to be done, though not so much as insinuated formerly in his Word, we then know it to be his will, that such a thing should be, as certainly, as if he had expressly revealed it before in the Scriptures. I speak of pleasing God in all things; first, because entire obedience, so far as human frailty will permit, is the immediate end, and use of the word of God; and the way, and means to salvation: secondly, to meet with that dangerous presumption of doing that, which is necessary to salvation, as many use to speak, though with affected ignorance of, and apparent disobedience to many of God's commandments. Who knoweth with how little God can, and doth save many, being faithful in learning what they can, and in observing what they know? Though much more be necessary to such as have means to know more. And thirdly because it is no child-like, but a bastardly disposition, to take care for serving God no further, though, alas, all be little enough for that, than to be sure of the Father's inheritance. The heart of a man is then assured before God, and hath a warrant from heaven against eternal confusion, when he can say, with good conscience, that he hath respect to all God's commandments." Psa. cxix. 6.

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God would have his will written, that is, his Word to become Scripture, partly for more certainty of truth to

men, and to preserve it the better from being corrupted; as all make account, that things set down in black and white, as they speak, are most firm: partly, for accord, and unity of churches, and Christians in the same truth; who, if they differ so much, notwithstanding they use the same rule, what would they do, if their rules were different, or uncertain? and partly, for more community; seeing books and writings may both easily be dispersed whither the voice of teachers cannot come, and also be read in private by Christians, when they are apart from their teachers.

Neither all things which the prophets of God wrote, were written by Divine inspiration, but some of them humanly, as their human affairs, common to them with other men, required: neither was all wherein they were divinely inspired, brought into the public treasury of the church, or made part of the canonical Scriptures, which we call the Bible; no more than all which they spake, was spoken by the Spirit; or all which they spake by the Spirit, written, John xx. 31; xxi. 25: but only so much, as the Lord in wisdom, and mercy, thought requisite to guide the church in faith and obedience, to the world's end: so as the Scriptures should neither be defective through brevity, nor burthensome by too great largeness, and prolixity. And thus to judge is more answerable both to God's providence in preserving the Scriptures from miscarrying; and to the Church's care, and faithfulness in keeping safe this heavenly treasure committed to her custody; than to say with some, that any of the books, or parts of the canonical Scriptures are lost.

It no more detracts from the authentic authority, or general use of some parts of the Holy Scriptures, that they were penned upon some special occasions, than of the sermons of Christ, the prophets, and apostles, that some of them were preached upon special occasions. And surely, it seems a strange conceit, that the authority of the writing should be the less, because the thing written was suggested by the Holy Ghost, and so penned, upon special occasion offered as such Scriptures were.

The Scriptures are not only authentic in themselves, as

* Junius.

having the Spirit of God for the author both of matter, and manner, and writing, 2 Pet. i. 21; but do also, as they say, carry their authority in their mouths, binding both to credence, and obedience, all whomsoever, unto whom they come, and by what means soever. And if God “left not himself without witness," Acts xiv. 17, in his works of creation, and providence; how much less in his written Word? wherein, without comparison, he reveals himself much more clearly, than the other way which is therefore discernible by itself, as is the sun by its own beams, and light; and which, as one saith, he that studies to understand, shall be compelled to believe.* Their assertion, therefore, who hold, and teach, that we are to receive the Scriptures for the churches' testimony, because usually, as others more truly and religiously speak, we receive them by its testimony, is in effect none other, than that we are to believe God for men's cause: whereas, on the contrary, if a man should find the book of the Holy Scriptures in the highway, or hidden under a stone; yet he were bound to learn, receive, believe, and obey them, and every part of them, in his place, though without, yea against the liking and approbation of all the men in the world: except God must not be God without men's liking.‡ And if the word preached by Christ, the prophets, and apostles, in their time, whether to Jews, or Gentiles, were absolutely to be believed, and obeyed, by every one that heard it, without other, or further testimony; why not as well, and much, now, by all that read it written? "He that receives the testimony" of Christ for itself, whether exhibited in speech, or writing, "sets to his seal that God is true," John iii. 33: he that receives it for the testimony of the Church, sets to his seal, that men are true. But the child of God knows his Father's voice.§

The profit and power of the Scriptures, both for stay of faith, and rule of life, and comfort in all manner of afflictions, no tongue or pen is able so fully to express, as every true Christian finds, and feels, in his own experience. There is but one true happiness, life eternal; one giver of it, God; one Mediator, Jesus Christ; and so but one means of imparting it, the word of God by which, he that * Tertullian. † Whitaker. Tertullian. § Morneus.

is both author and finisher of all, both begins, and perfects all. "Blessed is the man, that hath his delight therein, and meditates in the same, day and night," Psa. i. 1, 2 : that so he may learn the things upon earth, the knowledge whereof will fit him for heaven.*

When we avow the Scriptures' perfection, we exclude not from men common sense, and the light of nature, by which we are, both subjects capable of understanding them, and directed in sundry manners of doing the things commanded in them yea, besides other human helps, we both acknowledge, and beg of God as most needful for their fruitful understanding, the light of his Holy Spirit: only we account, and avow them as a most perfect rule neither crooked any way, nor short in anything requisite. This their

sufficiency and perfection is not to be restrained to matters simply necessary to salvation: for who can say, how many, or few, and no more, nor less, they are? But to matters necessary to obedience, that we may please God in all things, great, or small; expressed, or intended, and to be gathered by proportion, and just consequence. 1 Thess. iv., 1. "Without faith we cannot please God," Heb. xi. 6; and "Faith comes only by the word of God," Rom. x. 17; which we must therefore make our guide in "all our ways. Prov. iii. 6. And if we be to "give an account of every idle word," Matt. xii. 36, and so for every vain thought, or work, there is then a law of God for these smallest matters; for where no law is, there is no transgression; and where there is no transgression, or fault, there is no account to be given. But as philosophers say, that the least natural things are not sensible, by reason of their smallness; so may, and doth it too easily fall out, that we fail through want of skill or care in applying our rule of direction, both in smaller matters, and others of greater moment also. But this is not because the Scriptures are defective in directing; but we either blind in discerning, or negligent in searching, or both. And if the holy Scriptures' direction reach unto the whole course of our life, how much more of our religion, or worship of God? in which nothing is to be practised, but that which is to be believed ; nothing to be believed, but that which is to be taught; * Jerome.