natural capacity, and some which no man's, hath been able to find out? They are, saith St. Augustine, but a few, and they indued with great ripeness of wit and judgment, free from all such affairs as might trouble their meditations, instructed in the sharpest and the subtlest points of learning, who have, and that very hardly, been able to find out but only the Immortality of the Soul. The Resurrection of the Flesh what man did ever at any time dream of, having not heard it otherwise than from the school of Nature? Whereby it appeareth, how much we are bound to yield unto our Creator, the Father of all mercy, eternal thanks, for that he hath delivered his Law unto the world; a Law wherein so many things are laid open, clear, and manifest; as a light, which otherwise would have been buried in darkness, not without the hazard, or rather not with the hazard, but with the certain loss of infinite thousands of souls, most undoubtedly now saved. We see, therefore, that our sovereign Good is desired naturally; that God, the author of that natural desire, had appointed natural means whereby to fulfil it; that man, having utterly disabled his nature unto those means, hath had other revealed from God, and hath received from heaven a Law to teach him how that which is desired naturally must now supernaturally be attained finally, we see, that because those later exclude not the former quite and clean as unnecessary, therefore together with such supernatural duties as could not possibly have been otherwise known to the world, the same Law that teacheth them, teacheth also with them such natural duties as could not by light of Nature easily have been known.

nefit of

having

Divine

13. In the first age of the world God gave Laws unto our The befathers, and by reason of the number of their days, their memories served instead of books; whereof the manifold L imperfections and defects being known to God, he merci- written. fully relieved the same, by often putting them in mind of that whereof it behoved them to be specially mindful. In which respect, we see how many times one thing hath been iterated unto sundry, even of the best and wisest amongst them. After that the lives of men were short'ned, means more durable to preserve the Laws of God from oblivion and corruption grew in use, not without precise direction from God himself. First therefore of Moses it is said, Exod. that he "wrote all the words of God;" not by his own

χχίν. 4.

Hos.

i. 11.

Aug.

lib. i.

Evang.

66

private motion and device: for God taketh this act to himself, "I have written." Furthermore, were not the Proviii. 12. phets following commanded also to do the like? Unto the holy Evangelist St. John, how often express charge is Apoc. given, "Scribe, write these things?" Concerning the rest xiv. 13. of our Lord's Disciples, the words of St. Augustine are, Quicquid ille de suis factis et dictis nos legere voluit, de Cons. hoc scribendum illis tanquam suis manibus imperavit.' cap. ult. Now, although we do not deny it to be a matter merely accidental unto the Law of God to be written; although writing be not that which addeth authority and strength thereunto; finally, though his Laws do require at our hands the same obedience, howsoever they be delivered; his providence, notwithstanding, which hath made principal choice of this way to deliver them, who seeth not what cause we have to admire and magnify? The singular benefit that hath grown unto the world by receiving the Laws of God, even by his own appointment committed unto writing, we are not able to esteem as the value thereof deserveth. When the question thereof is, whether we be now to seek for any revealed Law of God otherwhere than only in the Sacred Scripture; whether we do now stand bound in the sight of God, to yield to Traditions urged by the Church of Rome the same obedience and reverence we do to his written Law, honouring equally and adoring both as Divine? our answer is, No. They that so earnestly plead for the authority of Tradition, as if nothing were more safely conveyed than that which spreadeth itself by report and descendeth by relation of former generations unto the ages that succeed, are not all of them (surely a miracle it were if they should be) so simple, as thus to persuade themselves; howsoever, if the simple were so persuaded, they could be content perhaps very well to enjoy the benefit, as they accompt it, of that common error. What hazard the truth is in when it passeth through the hands of report, how maimed and deformed it becometh, they are not, they cannot possibly be ignorant. Let them that are indeed of this mind, consider but only that little of things Divine which the Heathen* have in such sort received.

* I mean those historical matters concerning the ancient state of the first world, the Deluge, the sons of Noah, the children of Israel's deliverance out of Egypt, the life and doings of Moses their captain, with such like: the certain truth whereof delivered in Holy

How miserable had the state of the Church of God been long ere this, if, wanting the Sacred Scripture, we had no record of his Laws but only the memory of man receiving the same by report and relation from his predecessors? By Scripture, it hath in the wisdom of God seemed meet to deliver unto the world much but personally expedient to be practised of certain men; many deep and profound points of doctrine, as being the main original ground whereupon the precepts of duty depend; many prophecies, the clear performance whereof might confirm the world in belief of things unseen; many histories, to serve as looking-glasses to behold the mercy, the truth, the righteousness of God towards all that faithfully serve, obey, and honour him; yea, many intire meditations of piety, to be as patterns and precedents in cases of like nature; many things needful for explication, many for application unto particular occasions, such as the Providence of God from time to time hath taken to have the several books of his holy ordinance written. Be it then, that together with the principal necessary Laws of God there are sundry other things written, whereof we might happily be ignorant and yet be saved what? shall we hereupon think them needless? shall we esteem them as riotous branches, wherewith we sometimes behold most pleasant vines overgrown? Surely, no more than we judge our hands or our eyes superfluous, or what part soever; which if our bodies did want, we might, notwithstanding any such defect, retain still the complete being of men. As therefore a complete man is neither destitute of any part necessary, and hath some parts, whereof though the want could not deprive him of his essence, yet to have them standeth him in singular stead in respect of the special uses for which they serve; in like sort, all those Writings which contain in them the Law of God, all those venerable books of Scripture, all those sacred tomes and volumes of Holy Writ, they are with such absolute perfection framed, that in them there neither wanteth any thing, the lack whereof might deprive us of life; nor any thing in such wise aboundeth, that as being superfluous, unfruitful, and altogether needless, we should think it no loss or danger at all if we did want it.

:

Scripture, is of the Heathen, which had them only by report, so intermingled with fabulous vanities, that the most which remaineth in them to be seen, is the shew of dark and obscure steps, where some part of the truth hath gone.

The
Suffi-

of Scrip

to the

which it

stituted.

14. Although the Scripture of God therefore be stored ciency with infinite variety of matter in all kinds, although it abound ture with all sorts of Laws, yet the principal intent of Scripture end for is to deliver the Laws of duties Supernatural. Oftentimes was in it hath been in very solemn manner disputed, whether all things necessary unto salvation be necessarily set down in the Holy Scriptures or no.* If we define that necessary unto salvation, whereby the way to salvation is in any sort made more plain, apparent, and easy to be known; then is there no part of true philosophy, no art of account, no kind of science rightly so called, but the Scripture must contain it. If only those things be necessary, as surely none else are, without the knowledge and practice whereof it is not the will and pleasure of God to make any ordinary grant of salvation; it may be notwithstanding, and oftentimes hath been demanded, how the books of Holy Scripture contain in them all necessary things, when of things necessary the very chiefest is to know what books we are bound to esteem holy; which point is confest impossible for the Scripture itself to teach. Whereunto we may answer with truth, that there is not in the world any art or science, which, proposing unto itself an end (as every one doth some end or other), hath been therefore thought defective, if it have not delivered simply whatsoever is needful to the same end; but all kinds of knowledge have their certain bounds and limits; each of them presupposeth many necessary things learned in other sciences and known beforehand. He that should take upon him to teach men how to be eloquent in pleading causes, must needs deliver unto them whatsoever precepts are requisite unto that end; otherwise he doth not the thing which he taketh upon him. Seeing then no man can plead eloquently unless he be able first to speak; it followeth, that ability of speech is in this case a thing most necessary. Notwithstanding every man would think it ridiculous, that he which undertaketh by writing to instruct an Orator, should therefore deliver all the precepts of Grammar; because his profession is to deliver precepts necessary unto eloquent speech; yet so, that they which are to receive them be taught beforehand so much of that which is thereunto necessary, as comprehendeth the skill of speaking.

"Utrum cognitio supernaturalis, necessaria viatori, sit sufficienter tradita in sacra Scriptura?" This question proposed by Scotus is affirmatively concluded.

In like sort, albeit Scripture do profess to contain in it all things which are necessary unto salvation; yet the meaning cannot be simply of all things which are necessary, but all things that are necessary in some certain kind or form; as all things that are necessary, and either could not at all, or could not easily be known by the light of natural discourse; all things which are necessary to be known that we may be saved, but known with presupposal of knowledge concerning certain principles whereof it receiveth us already persuaded, and then instructeth us in all the residue that are necessary. In the number of these principles, one is the sacred authority of Scripture. Being therefore persuaded by other means that these Scriptures are the Oracles of God, themselves do then teach us the rest, and lay before us all the duties which God requireth at our hands as necessary unto salvation. Further, there hath been some doubt likewise whether containing in Scripture do import express setting down in plain terms, or else comprehending in such sort that, by Reason, we may from thence conclude all things which are necessary. Against the former of these two constructions, instance hath sundry ways been given. For our belief in the Trinity, the co-eternity of the Son of God with his Father, the proceeding of the Spirit from the Father and the Son, the duty of baptizing infants; these, with such other principal points, the necessity whereof is by none denied, are notwithstanding in Scripture no where to be found by express literal mention, only deduced they are out of Scripture by collection.* This kind of comprehension in Scripture being therefore received, still there is doubt how far we are to proceed by collection, before the full and complete measure of things necessary be made up. For let us not think, that as long as the world doth endure, the wit of man shall be able to sound the bottom of that which may be

*["Another foundation of our belief; The Son is the Word of the Father, from everlasting begotten of the Father, &c. Art. II.; and, The Holy Ghost proceeding from the Father and the Son; Art. V. Where we hold the co-eternity of the Son with the Father by express literal mention in the Scriptures, found in these words, Prov. viii. 22; and again, John i. 1; and again, John xvii. 5. And we hold the proceeding of the Holy Ghost from the Father and the Son, by like express words of Holy Scripture; namely, John xv. 26. Shew we pray you your full meaning where you say, The co-eternity of the Son of God with his Father, and the proceeding of the Spirit from the Father and the Son, are in Scripture no where to be found by express literal mention.' Whether there be not express literal mention of these two points in the former alleged places; and whether such manner of speeches may not work a scruple in the weak Christian, to doubt of these articles, or at least so underprop the Popish Traditions, that men may the rather favour their allegations, when they see us fain to borrow of them."-A Christian Letter, p. 6.]