the full possession? These absurdities may not be charged on an ordinary man, much less on the faithful and righteous God.

Sect. VI. Sixthly, and lastly: The Scripture mentioneth particularly and by name, those who entered into this rest, as Enoch, who was taken up to God. So Abraham, Lazarus, and the thief that was crucified with Christ, &c. And if there be a rest for these, surely there is a rest for all believers. But it is vain to heap up scripture-proof, seeing it is the very end of the Scripture, to be a guide to lead us to this blessed state, and to discover it to us, and persuade us to seek it in the prescribed way, and to acquaint us with the hinderances that would keep us. from it, and to be the charter and grant by which we hold all our title to it. So that our rest, and thereby God's glory, is, to the Scripture, as the end is to the way, which is frequently expressed and implied through the whole. There is no one that doubts of the certainty of this promised glory, but only they that doubt of the truth of the Scripture, or else know not what it containeth. And because I find the most temptations are resolved into this, and that there is so much unbelief even in true believers, and that the truth and strength of our belief of Scripture hath an exceeding great influence into all our graces, I shall briefly say something for your confirmation in this.

CHAP. II.

Motives to Study and Preach the Divine Authority
of Scripture.

Sect. I. Thush much may suffice where the Scripture is believed, to confirm the truth of the point in hand, viz., the certain futurity of the saints' rest. And for pagans and infidels who believe not Scripture, it is besides the intention of this discourse

h Sed quo plenius et impressius tam ipsum quam dispositiones ejus, et voluntates adiremus, instrumentum adjecit literaturæ, siquis velit de Deo inquirere, et inquisitum invenire, et invento credere, et credito deservire. Viros enim justitia et innocentia dignos Deum nosse et ostendere, a primordio in seculum emisit Spiritu Divino inundatos, quo prædicarent Deum unicum esse, qui universa coudiderit, qui hominem de humo struxerit, &c., sed et observantibus præmia destinarit, qui producto ævo isto judicaturus sit suos cultores in vitæ æternæ retributionem, profanos in ignem æque perpetem et jugem, suscitatis omnibus ab initio defunctis, et reformatis et recensitis ad utriusque meriti dispunctionem.—Tertul. Apol. c. 18. operum edit. Pamel.

to endeavour their conviction. I am endeavouring the consolation and edification of saints, and not the information and conversion of pagans. Yet do I acknowledge the subject exceeding necessary, even to the saints themselves: for Satan's assaults are oft made at the foundation; and if he can persuade them to question the verity of Scripture, they will soon cast away their hopes of heaven.

But if I should here enter upon that task, to prove that Scrip→ ture to be the infallible word of God, I should make too broad a digression, and set upon a work as large as that, for the sake whereof I should undertake it; neither am I insensible of how great a difficulty it would prove to manage it satisfactorily, and how much more than my ability is thereto requisite.

Yet, lest the tempted Christian should have no relief, nor any argument at hand against the temptation, I will here lay down some few, not intending it as a full resolution of that great question, but as a competent help to the weak, that have no time nor ability to read larger volumes. And I the rather am induced to it, because the success of all the rest that I have written depends upon this: no man will love, desire, study, labour for that which he believeth not to be attainable. And in such supernatural points, we must first apprehend the truth of the revelation, before we can well believe the truth of the thing revealed. And I desire the Lord to persuade the hearts of some of his choicest servants in these times, whom he hath best furnished for such a work, to undertake the complete handling of it; to persuade them to which, I will here annex, first, some considerations, which also are the reasons of this brief attempt of my own, and may also serve to persuade all ministers to bestow a little more pains, in a seasonable grounding their hearers in this so great and needful a point, by a more frequent and clear discovery of the verity of the Scripture, though some, that know not what they say, may tell them that it is needless.i

1. Of what exceeding great necessity is it to the salvation of ourselves and hearers, to be soundly persuaded of the truth of Scripture! As God's own veracity is the prime foundation of our faith, from which particular axioms receive their verity, so the Scripture is the principal foundation quoad patefactionem,

i I have since written a supplement to this second part, called the Unreasonableness of Infidelity.'

revealing to us what is of God, without which revelation it is impossible to believe. And should not the foundation be both timely and soundly laid?

2. The learned divines of these latter times have, in most points of doctrine, done better than any, since the apostles, before them; and have much advantaged the church thereby, and advanced sacred knowledge. And should we not endeavour it in this point if possible above all, when yet the ancients were more frequent and full in it, for the most part, than we? I know there are many excellent treatises already extant on this subject, and such as I doubt not may convince gainsayers, and much strengthen the weak; but yet, doubtless, much more may be done for the clearing this weighty and needful point. Our great divines have said almost as much against papists in this, as need be said, especially Chamier, and our Robert Baronius, Whitaker, Reignoldus, &c. But is not most of their industry there bestowed, while they put off the atheist, the Jew, and other infidels, with a few pages or none? And so the great master-sin of infidelity in the souls of men, whereof the best Christians have too great a share, is much neglected, and the very greatest matter of all overlooked. Grotius, Morney, and Camero, above others, have done well; but if God would stir them up to this work, I doubt not but some, by the help of all foregoers, and especially improving antiquities, might do it more completely than any have yet done; which I think would be as acceptable a piece of service to the church, as ever by human. industry was performed.

3. And I fear the course that too many divines take this way, by resolving all into the testimony of the Spirit, in a mistaken sense, hath much wronged the Scripture and church of God, and much hardened pagans and atheists against the truth: I know that the illumination of the Spirit is necessary: a special illumination for the begetting of a special saving belief, and a common illumination for a common belief. But this is not so properly called the testimony of the Spirit; the use of this is to open our eyes to see that evidence of scripture verity which is already extant; and as to remove our blindness, so by farther

Of the difference of sense, vision, illumination, and revelation, vide Macarii Homil. 7. edit. Palthen. p. 99. Cognosci sine fide Scripturæ possunt, sive ex ecclesiæ testimonio, sive ex se noscantur. Ut liquido agnoscantur cum certa assentione animi, opus est Spiritus illuminatione.— Whitaker rectissime Duplicat, adv. Stapleton, lib. 3. c. 8. pp. 535, 536.

sanctifying, to remove our natural enmity to the truth, and prejudice against it, which is no small hinderance to the believing of it; for all the hinderance lieth not in the bare intellect.

But it is another kind of testimony than this, which many great divines resolve their faith into: for when the question is of the objective cause of faith, how know you Scripture to be the word of God; or why do you believe it so to be? They finally conclude, by the testimony of the Spirit: but the Spirit's illumination being only the efficient cause of our discerning, and the question being only of the objective cause or evidence, they must needs mean some testimony besides illuminating, sanctifying grace, or else not understand themselves: and, therefore, even great Chamier calleth this testimony' the word of God,' and likens it to the revelations made to the prophets and apostles, dangerously, I think. (Tom. iii. lib. 13. c. 17.) To imagine a necessity, first, either of an internal proper testimony, which is argumentum inartificiale, as if the Spirit, as another person, spoke this truth within me, "The Scripture is God's word;' or, secondly, of the Spirit's propounding that objective evidence internally in the soul, which is necessary to persuade by an artificial argument, without propounding it first ab extra; thirdly, or for the Spirit to infuse or create in a man's mind an actual persuasion that Scripture is God's word, the person not knowing how he is so persuaded, nor why; or of any the like immediate injection of the intelligible species; I say, to affirm that the Scriptures cannot be known to be God's word, without such a testimony of the Spirit as some of these, is, in my judgment, a justifying men in their infidelity, and a telling them that there is not yet extant any sufficient evidence of scripture truth, till the Spirit create it in ourselves, and, withal, to leave it impossible to produce any evidence for the conviction of an unbeliever, who cannot know the testimony of the Spirit in me: and, indeed, it is direct expectation of enthusiasm, and that is ordinary to every Christian. And it also infers that all men have the testimony of the Spirit, who believe the Scriptures to be God's word, which would delude many natural men, who feel that they do believe this, though some unsoundly tell us that an unregenerate man cannot believe it. I know that, savingly, he cannot; but undissemblingly, as the devil does, he may. But I leave this point, referring the reader that understands them, for full satisfaction about the nature of the Spirit's testimony, to learned

Robert Baronius, Apol. con. Turnebullum,' p. 733; and also to judicious Amyraldus, 'Thes. de Testim. Spir. in Thes. Salmuriens., vol. i. p. 122: in both whom it is most solidly handled.

4. Doubtless, the first and chief work of preachers of the Gospel, is to endeavour the conversion of pagans and infidels, where men live within their reach, and have opportunity to do it. And we all believe that the Jews shall be brought in; and it must be by means. And how shall all this be done, if we cannot prove to them the divine authority of what we have to say to them, but naked affirmation? Or, how shall we maintain the credit of Christianity, if we be put to dispute the case with an infidel? I know somewhat may be done by tradition where Scripture is not; but that is a weaker, uncertain means : I know also that the first truths, and those that are known by the light of nature, may be evinced by natural demonstrations: and when we deal with pagans, there we must begin. But for all supernatural truth, how shall we prove that to them, but by proving first the certainty of the revelation? As Aquinas, ut in marg., m to tell them that the Spirit testifieth it, is no means to convince them that have not the Spirit. And if they have the Spirit already, then what need we preach to convince them ? If the word must be mixed with faith in them that hear it, before it profit them further to salvation; then we cannot expect to find the Spirit in infidels. He that thinks an unholy person may not believe the Scriptures to be the word of God, doth not surely think that they may go so much further as our divines and the Scripture tell us they may do."

And to tell an infidel that it is principium indemonstrabile,

1 Pessime, ni fallor, argumentatur vir doctiss. Keckerman. Systemate Theol. lib. p. 179: Soli electi habent fidem: ergo soli electi norunt quæ sit norma fidei. This will teach the vilest man to conclude that he is elect, because he knows the rule of faith.

m See also the Act of the Conference at Paris, 1565, July in the beginning. n Ad primæ veritatis manifestationem per rationes demonstrativas proce dendum est. Sed quia tales rationes (i. e. ab evidentia rei) ad secundam veritatem haberi non possunt, non debet esse ad hoc intentio, ut adversarius rationibus (i. e. a re) convincatur, sed ut ejus rationes quas contra veritatem habet solvantur: cum veritati fidei ratio naturalis contraria esse non possit. Singularis vero modus convincendi adversarium contra hujusmodi veritatem, est ex authoritate Scripturæ divinitus confirmata miraculis. Quæ enim supra rationem humanam sunt; non credimus, nisi Deo revelante.-Aquin. Cont Gentil. lib. 1. c. 9. Vid. etiam de hac re Spalatens, de Rep. Eccles. lib. 7. c. 9. sect. 17, 18, 21; et c. 2. sect. 8 et 22.