2. Take heed of denying the perfection of Scripture in deed, while you maintain it in words. Two sorts I would warn of this.

1. Those that plead for traditional doctrines. To these I have spoken elsewhere: Appendix to Treatise of Baptism.'

2. Those that are so eager as to tie all men to their expositions of Scripture, and censure all for heretical that differ from them therein. When we have disputed and contended ourselves a-weary, and wrangled the church into flames and ashes, yet that which God hath spoken obscurely, and so left difficult in itself, will remain obscure and difficult still; and that which is difficult through the weakness and incapacity of unlearned men, will be far better cleared by a rational explication than by a bare

Unde ista traditio? utrumne de dominica et evangelica authoritate descendens? An de apostolorum mandatis atque epistolis veniens? Ea enim facienda esse quæ scripta sunt Deus testatur ad Joshuam; non recedat liber legis ex ore tuo, &c. Si ergo aut evangelio præcipitur, aut in apostolorum epistolis aut actibus continetur, observetur divina hæc et sancta traditio. Quæ ista obstinatio, quæve præsumptio, humanam traditionem divinæ dispositioni anteponere? nec animadvertere indignari et irasci Deum, quoties divina præcepta solvit et præterit humana traditio? Mark vii. 8; 1 Tim. vi. · 3. Consuetudo sine veritate, Vetustas erroris est; propter quod relicto errore sequamur veritatem.-Cyprian. Epist. 74. ad Pomp. pp. 229, 230. The same place of Cyprian is vindicated by Dr. Whitaker 'De Sac. Scrip.' cont. 1. Q. 6. de' Perfect. Scrip.' mentioned also by Goulartius on Cyprian, ibid.

• Doctissimi Nazianzeni consilium ab omnibus Christianis audiendum, "Divina contemplare, verum in terminis maneto; loquere quæ sunt Spiritus ; et si possibile est, nihil aliud. Ne patris naturam nimis curiose rimator, unigeniti essentiam, Spiritus gloriam, unam in tribus deitatem; utere verbis consuetis. Ratio pertineat ad sapientiores. Sufficiat tibi ut habeas fundamentum; super ædificent artifices." Utinam soli artifices super ædificarent! Utinam superstructiones suas multas et pæne infinitas cum paucis et planis fundamentalibus pari affectu et honore suscipiendas non commiscerent! Si hoc conentur, decet tamen pios et prudentes Christianos discernere, inter prima illa pauca credibilia a Christo et apostolis immediate revelata, et innumeras illas deductiones theologorum pro cujusque ingenio et opinione cum fundamentalibus in eundem locum contrusas.-Davenant. Adhort. ad Pacem Eccles. pp. 87, 88. It was sound counsel that Pomeranus gives the ministers of God's word, (ne tot articulis, &c.,) that they should not, with so many articles, and creeds, and confessions, confound the minds of plain Christians, but that they should draw up the sum of their belief into some few heads. Nothing hinders but that professors and licentiates in divinity may busy their thoughts, and spend their hours upon the knotty and abstruse questions of that sacred faculty; but why should the heads of ordinary Christians be troubled with those curious disquisitions?-Dr. Hall's Peacemaker,' sect. 16. pp. 118, 119. I pray read the rest of that small treatise, and his 'Pax Terris,' a smaller, but both worthy of all our serious studying. Read Usher's excellent Sermon on Ephes. iv. 13. before King James, June 20, 1624, throughout.

canon.

O when will the Lord once persuade his churches to take his written word for the only canon of their faith; and that in its own naked simplicity and evidence, without the determinations and canons of men, which are no parts of our creed, but helps to our understandings, and bounds to our practice in matters circumstantial, which God hath left to man's determination! When will the Lord persuade us not to be wise above what is written; but to acknowledge that which is unrevealed in the word, to be beyond us; and that which is more darkly revealed, to be more doubtful to us! Then the hot contentions of the church about the mysteries of God's decrees, and nature and order of his immanent acts; the nature and way of the workings of the Spirit on the soul, &c.; with a hundred quarrels about mere names and words, will be more lovingly and brotherly debated, without such alienation of affections and reproachful expressions.

Two things have set the church on fire, and been the plagues of it above one thousand years; 1. Enlarging our creed, and making more fundamentals than ever God made.

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2. Composing, and so imposing, our creeds and confessions in our own words and phrases.

When men have learned more manners and humility than to accuse God's language as too general and obscure, as if they could mend it, and have more dread of God, and compassion on themselves, than to make those to be fundamentals or certainties which God never made so; and when they reduce their confessions, 1. To their due extent, and, 2. To scripture phrase, that dissenters may not scruple subscribing, then, and, 1 think, never till then, shall the church have peace about doctrinals."

* Ausim confirmare, majorum tam veterum hæresium, quam præsentium, dissidiorum partem, in ecclesia hinc præcipue natam fuisse et esse, quod concilia, episcopi, doctores ecclesiæ, nullo discrimine, quævis scholarum dogmata, et cathedrarum placita pro articulis fidei catholicæ vindicarunt, parique ad salutem necessitate credenda conscientiis imposuerunt: ex quavis vero interpretationis Scripturarum discrepantia, nimis facile hæreses vel schismata fecerunt.-Paræus in Iren. p. (mihi) 19. Vide et pp. 14 et 15. All peacemaking divines still harp upon this string, and yet some call it Socinian. If any man would see more of the evil of making points necessary which God made not so, you may throughout Conrad. Bergius's 'Prax. Cathol.' see enough; and the words of very many divines, Lutherans and Calvinists, to that end.

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Chillingworth, page last of the Preface. Shall men be judged Socinians for advancing the Scriptures as the only rule? I pray read well what that excellent divine Dr. Stoughton hath written expressly and earnestly for what I

It seems to me no heinous Socinian motion which Chillingworth is blamed for, viz. Let all men believe the Scripture, and that only, and endeavour to believe it in the true sense, and promise this, and require no more of others; and they shall find this not only a better, but the only means to suppress heresy, and restore unity, &c.

If you say men may subscribe to Scripture, and yet misinterpret it, I answer, so they may do by human canons. If you say, they may preach against fundamentals, or evident truths, while yet they subscribe the Scripture misunderstood, I answer, 1. All such weighty truths are delivered expressly, or very plainly. 2. I hope God will once not only bring into use ministerial power, but also teach magistrates to rule for Christ to the restraining of such as shall so palpably offend, as openly to contradict what they subscribe.

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But that was the third and last word of advice I here intended: viz. That seeing the Scripture is the sacred, perfect law of the most high God, that man would use it reverently, and that magistrates would restrain men that would bring God's Word into contempt, under pretence of preaching it; that every ignorant fellow, whose tongue has caught a lax, may not run into the pulpit to ease himself; nor any one have leave to disgorge himself in the holy assemblies, that hath got a surfeit of pride and self-conceit. Oh! if you knew the weakness of poor people, and how apt they are to be deceived, you would not give deceivers liberty to do their worst! You that will not give men leave to persuade your wives to adultery, your children to lewdness, your soldiers or subjects to rebellion or treachery, should surely be as regardful of men's souls, and the honour of Christ. And you that will not give every fool leave to go in your names on an embassage, who would but disgrace you, should not let men speak publicly, as in the name of Christ, that cannot speak sense, to the shame of our profession; nor should men turn preachers, as the river Nilus breeds frogs, saith now urge, in his form of wholesome words, about forming church confessions.

* Ordinationes eorum temerariæ, leves, inconstantes: nunc neophytos collocant, nunc seculo obstrictos nunc apostatas nostros, ut gloria eos obligent, quia veritate non possunt. Nusquam facilius proficitur quam in castris rebellium, ubi ipsum esse illic, promereri est; itaque alius hodie episcopus, cras alius; hodie diaconus, qui cras lector; hodie presbyter, qui cras laicus; nam et laicis sacerdotalia munera injungunt.-Tertul, de Præscript, advers. Hæres. c. 41.

Herodotus, when one half moveth before the other is made, and while it is yet but plain mud.

But I must make this preface no longer. I pray observe that in the margin, and see whether our times be not like Tertullian's.

Reader, as thou lovest thy comforts, thy faith, thy hope, thy safety, thy innocency, thy soul, thy Christ, thine everlasting rest; love, reverence, read, study, obey, and stick close to the Scripture. Farewell.

April 2, 1652.

THE

SAINT'S EVERLASTING REST.

THE SECOND PART.

CHAP. I.

SECT. 1. We are next to proceed to the confirmation of this truth, which, though it may seem needless in regard of its own clearness and certainty, yet in regard of our distance and infidelity nothing more necessary: but, you will say, to whom will this endeavour be useful? They who believe the Scriptures are convinced already; and for those who believe it not, how will you convince them? Answ. But sad experience tells, that those that believe, do believe but in part, and, therefore, have need of further confirmation; and, doubtless, God hath left us arguments sufficient to convince unbelievers themselves, or else how should we preach to pagans; or what should we say to the greatest part of the world, that acknowledge not the Scriptures? Doubtless the Gospel should be preached to them; and though we have not the gift of miracles to convince them of the truth, as the apostles had, yet we have arguments demonstrative and clear, or else our preaching would be in vain; we having nothing left but bare affirmations.

Though I have all along confirmed sufficiently by testimony of Scripture what I have said, yet I will here briefly add thus much more, that the Scripture doth clearly assert this truth in these six ways.

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1. It affirms, that this rest is fore-ordained for the saints, and the saints also fore-ordained to it. "God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he hath prepared for them a city.” (Heb. xi. 16.) "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, nor heart conceived, what God hath prepared for them that love him." (1 Cor. ii. 9.) Which I conceive must be meant of these preparations in heaven; for those on earth are both seen and conceived, or else how are they enjoyed? To sit on Christ's right and left